


Heaven is not a place on Earth, especially not with you

by soft_daisies



Category: NCT (Band), WayV (Band)
Genre: A The Good Place AU, Angst, Demons lurkin' in the shadows, Dolphins fuckin' everywhere, Donghyuck is a humanitarian, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone is Dead, Everyone is into Taeyong, Fluff, Implied norenmin, Kinda, Lucas is a bad boyfriend, M/M, Mark is a very good boy be nice to him pls, Mark is confused the whole time, Markhyuck centric, Mutual Pining, Sicheng really likes Yuta, Soulmates, Taeyong is a saint, Taeyong loves his job, Ten loves bragging, This Is STUPID, amnesiac Mark, idk - Freeform, loads of gay panic, no beta readers we die like men, platonic chensung, please take Chenle seriously, read to find out more;)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-11-04 01:10:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17888705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soft_daisies/pseuds/soft_daisies
Summary: Mark wakes up in an unfamiliar room, pleasantly surprised when he's told (by a very attractive angel) that he died and went to heaven.The catch? He's not supposed to be there.





	1. heaven smells like peppermint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tired my best to not make the first chapter too informative and awkward, so i hope i did well. also, im not a native speaker so if u spot any grammar errors pls help a bitch out and tell me skskksksksskss.  
> follow me on twitter @/heavenlyhyo please i am desperate  
> love yall xoxo

  The first thing Mark saw when he awoke was a white wall adorned with big green letters that spelled out _Everything is fine!._ That was, if you asked him, really fucking suspicious.  
Why would there need to be a big green inscription on the wall if everything was ineed fine? Sus.  
 His questions would have to be answered later, because his train of thought was interrupted when a literal anime boy came through the door, pink and golden sparkles glittering around him. Well, not really, but they could be because damn was that man _beautiful._ Tall and slender, pink hair, shining dark eyes, flawless tan skin… You'd expect him to say something along the lines of ''you died and went to heaven'' because his face was just THAT unreal.  
,,Hi Mark! You must be confused. Sorry for the trouble, my name is Taeyong,'' the man smiled, his pearly whites twinkling like…. well, pearls.  
,,U-um, hi, Taeyong. How do you know my name? Where am I? Who are you?'' Mark's amazement at the boy's fairytale appearance disappeared as soon as he heard him talk. That doesn't mean his voice was unpleasant or anything of the sort, quite the opposite actually, but it was all that was needed to return Mark back to his senses.  
,,Okay, let me start off with the simple stuff. You're dead.'' The pinkette's smile shone even brighter, almost making Mark ignore the meaning of his words.  
_Dead?_ __  
,,Huh?'' was all he could muster up before losing balance, his inevitable fall softened by the oh-so-convenient couch that he first woke up on. What the hell is this supposed to mean? He can't be dead! He'd know if he was dead, right? Right?  
,,Oh, let me rephrase! You're currently in what you, humans, would refer to as _heaven_ or _the afterlife_ . You died and your soul has been transferred here, the Good Place.'' Taeyong continued smiling as if what he just said didn't almost knock Mark right back out.  
,,I, uh, I think I don't quite, uh, understand what you're saying. When did I-'' Suddenly, a lump formed in Mark's throat. He couldn't bring himself to say it.  
_When did he die?_ __  
,,You want to know when you passed away? Well, it hasn't been that long, actually. Probably like, hmm, let's see, maybe an hour? Sorry, the paperwork took long, I couldn't bring you in any sooner,'' apologized the older boy, his eyes reminding Mark of a sad puppy.  
,,Uh, no, that's fine. I just. Why don't I, uh, remember how I… _died_ ?'' The lump still didn't dissolve even after he forced the dreaded word to leave his lips.  
,,You see, when you get here, the Good Place, all your memories automatically get erased to avoid, you know, embarrassment and other fun stuff like that. But we can totally show you, if that's what you want!'' Taeyong quickly added, careful to not make the boy even more confused. You could hear wheels spinning in the poor kid's head.  
,,B-but I don’t feel d-dead? I-“  
,,I know you don’t”- Taeyong cut him off again-''but I can guarantee you are. The doctors checked, I checked, and the boss also checked, just to make sure.”  
,,Yeah, uh, I don’t, uh, understand. How did I, uh, yeah, that?” The word still felt too bitter and heavy on his tongue.  
 ,,You, well, this is kind of embarrassing, but you were cooking for your little sister and, you see, the house kind of set on fire,” explained the pinkette with a dead serious face.  
_Little sister?_  
 ,,But I don’t have a-“  
 ,,I know it may feel like it right now, but I can _guarantee_ that everything I’m telling you is true. We see everything you do, all the time. So when something about your past seems unclear, trust me, I know better than you do, m’kay? Now, let’s take a look at your file…,” said Taeyong, while opening a pretty thicc folder full of papers, still standing up. Oh boy. That's a real talent. I mean, not spilling all the papers in the folder _without_ sitting down? Truly inspiring.  
 ,,S-so, uh, mind filling me on my, like, uh, whole life? I-I don’t really remember much,” the other boy trailed off, his mind getting fuzzier and fuzzier. Why doesn’t he remember anything at all? There should be at least _something_ . Right?  
 ,,Don't worry, I'll get to that. But for now, let me explain where you are since you keep interrupting me every time I want to get to it!'' the pinkette's voice, surprisingly, did not carry the tension that his words were supposed to have. Man, this guy is weirdly  calm.  
 ,,Whoa, you're, like,  really not good at being passive aggressive. That almost seemed like you were being nice,'' Mark chuckled, some of the stress lifting off his shoulders for a brief second.  
,,...Okay. Anyway! You, Mark Lee, are in the Good Place. A place where only the greatest of the great end up! I am so glad to welcome you here!'' Taeyong's voice got a little bit cheerier with every sentence, his cheeks almost glowing from how wide his smile was.  
 ,,I, uh, thank you? I just, uh, I don't really understand why heaven is a waiting room?'' And with that, both Taeyong and Mark took a long proper look at their surroundings. They were, indeed, still in that weird waiting room.  
 ,,O-oh. Right! Sorry, this is my first time doing this? So I get kind of, uh, overly excited? So sorry about that! I'll show you your memories after the tour? How does that sound?'' If this situation made Taeyong nervous at any point, that nervosity was long gone and his face now once again sported a confident smile  
 ,,So,'' he looked at Mark shortly, ''shall we?''

 

 Upon leaving the waiting room, Mark was greeted by warm sunlight and a gentle breeze. And was that… peppermint in the air?  
Further investigation of that would have to wait for later, since the angelic man that brought him there was excitedly looking around as if _he_ was the one seeing heaven for the first time.  
 ,,Welcome to the neighborhood, Mark!'' Taeyong's enthusiastic tone would put any child in a toy store to shame. He seemed way more excited than Mark, and that guy just woke up in heaven.  
Said boy took a proper look around. Everything seemed... well, perfect. The buildings surrounding him were a perfect mix of those aesthetic exposed brick buildings and cheesy pastel houses with pretty white curtains in the windows. Strangely enough, it all fit together. Almost every house had plants or vases full of colorful flowers on their window sills, complimenting the whole inviting and slightly tumblr vibe of the small square. And peppermint was _still_ lingering in the air, and Mark _still_ hasn't figured out where it's coming from. Was it the kind of peppermint smell that would be in toothpaste? Or was it the type of peppermint that would be in mint ice cream? He had no idea. And he probably wouldn't for a pretty long time, because Taeyong basically grabbed him by his wrist and dragged him along the perfect cobblestone sidewalk.  
 ,,There's so much you need to see before I show you your house! Okay so here's the ice cream parlor! Jihye here, the sweetest soul on Earth, runs it. You can get any flavor imaginable! From lemon sorbet and chocolate, to the concept of time and the way finished homework makes you feel!'' The pinkette's eyes were sparkling in amazement as if he was the one getting the tour of Heaven. While Mark just kind of…. stood there, confused but intrigued at the thought of eating ice cream that tastes like no responsibilities.  
 Other than that though, he still felt as if he was dreaming. His brain just still couldn't quite grasp the idea of both being dead and ending up in heaven. I mean, it's not as if he's done anything extraordinary while on Earth. But Taeyong just seemed so excited that Mark couldn't even think of doubting his words. He said to trust him, so the boy was trying to do exactly that.  
But man was it hard.

 

 After walking around the neighborhood and seeing like fifty different ice cream parlors, uncountable exposed brick and/or pastel cottages and small water fountains with weird dolphin sculptures in them, Taeyong finally stopped in front of a fairly big half-timbered house that could comfortably fit a whole family.  
 ,,And now the grand ending to our tour! Mark Lee's house! We made it exactly how you like: big, hardwood floors and huge windows! Come take a look inside!'' The pink haired boy walked ahead of Mark,  apparently very excited to show off his work. Something still didn't exactly feel right to the ravenette though  
_But he doesn't like big houses-_ __  
,,Come inside, come inside!'' His guide apparently wasn't bothered by the details that kept messing with Mark's pretty little head, since you could only see said man's pink hair through the window.  
With a light chuckle, the boy headed inside the seemingly huge house.  
His biggest worries were confirmed upon entering. The building felt even bigger on the inside, the unnecessarily large windows making him feel slightly anxious.  
 ,,So? What do you think?'' Taeyong interrupted Mark's inner fight with himself about whether or not he should tell the latter that this house is not _exactly_ his style.  
 ,,It's great! Really spacious and inviting! Loads of natural light, too! I love it!'' the ravenette lied through his teeth, a bright smile hiding his confusion. Why does this heaven feel like it wasn't made for him?  
,,I'm so happy you like it! Creating this house was a joy, and since I know how much you value family, I made the house, like, a classical suburban family house with a modern twist!'' the pinkette explained proudly, making the younger feel kind of guilty about not liking it.  
,,You've done a great job at that! Feels real home-y, haha.'' A lie. Because of the windows, this place felt like those zoo cages where you can see animals do everything at any time. Brr. But Mark couldn't just say that out loud and ruin the pinkette's excitement. That wouldn't be fair.  
,,I'm glad. Well, now that we're somewhere you can relax, how about going through your memories together? You seemed pretty confused when you woke up. Also, I'm a big fan of what you've done on Earth, so I'd love to take a look at it as well!'' Taeyong was still smiling brightly, the light-heartedness in his voice almost dissolving Mark's worries once again.  
 ,,Oh, yeah! Totally! I'm, like, still kind of confused to be honest, haha…,'' the boy trailed off, scratching the back of his head to seem more nonchalant, but ending up looking more like Noah Sentiment when he's trying to be fake-cute.  
_Wow, I really hope that guy ended up in hell,_ Mark thought, quietly letting out a malicious chuckle  
 ,,Great! Now, where were you…,'' Taeyong mumbled to himself, searching through the folder that suddenly appeared in his hands.  
After maybe a minute, he let out a victorious ''aha!'' and made a whoosh whoosh gesture with his hand, a screen materializing out of thin air.  
 ,,Cool,'' said Mark bluntly. A flat-screen hovered in the air in front of him, and that's all he said. Sigh, white men.  
The pink haired man laughed and again did something with his hand that pressed play on the pov video of Mark's (?) memories.  
 First it was a scene where he (?) was volunteering at an old folks' home, helping old ladies walk up stairs and other fun stuff like that. Not that weird. He could see himself doing that while he was alive.  
Next came a part where he (?)  was… knitting? And a bunch of children was sat around him (?) in a circle, admiring his (?) sick knitting skills.  
Then, a scene where you could see him (?) teaching english to a bunch of Korean kiddos in a hospital. Again, sounds pretty normal.  
,,Oh! Now comes my favorite scene!'' Taecong squealed all of a sudden, which made Mark's eyes widen. What could he have possibly done better than what he's seen seen so far?    From the first shot of that memory, Mark was officially 100% sure that these memories were definitely _not_ his.  
It showed another pov video, though this time the person wasn't helping old people or picking up trash, but rescuing a cat from a burning house. Mark Lee could _guarantee_ that he's never ever done that in his life, no matter how little from it he remembers.  
Něco tu nehrálo.  
 ,,Oh my _god,_ look how cool-ly you just saved that cat! And you even took the lady's purse and returned it to her! You're so thoughtful!'' Taeyong swooned at not-Mark's epic memory, evidently not aware that there's been a huge mistake.  
 ,,Y-yeah, haha. I sure did save that cat,'' the ravenette forced a laugh to leave his lips, his tiny mind people running around his brain and screaming bloody murder at the top of their little lungs. Que the *have you ever wondered what is going on inside their head* vine  
 ,,It's truly admirable, the life you've lead! I mean, you were so young! Yet you studied to become a surgeon, and still found time to volunteer at hospitals, children centers _AND_ you were a member of volunteer firefighters! It's just, like, how did you even find the time to do all that?'' Taeyong's eyes were shining with amazement, his hands energetically gesticulating and emphasizing every word he says, clearly very impressed by the life that not-Mark has lead. I mean, shit, so was yes-Mark. Not-Mark was a real fuckin badass.   
 ,,To be a hundred percent honest with you, I don't know either.'' That was technically not a lie. He really had no idea how the guy found time to do all that.  
Wait. Didn't the older also mention that he died making lunch for his sister?  
 ,,What about my, uhm, sister? What happened to her?'' asked Mark, now very worried about not-Mark's little sibling. What if something happened to the poor squish?  
 ,,Oh, don't worry about that, she's fine. She wasn't at your house when you were preparing the food, se she was safe and sound,'' the pink haired man reassured him, the shine in his eyes not once leaving his eyes. He must've _really_ admired not-Mark.  
 ,,That's a relief,'' the younger exhaled, some of the stress lifting off his tense shoulders.  
The room was quiet for a while until Taeyong facepalmed and hissed in pain right afterwards.  
 ,,Oh right! I didn't even tell you the most exciting part about the Good Place!''  
 ,,Oh worm?''  
 ,,No, no worms! Soulmates! Everyone has a soulmate in the afterlife! And so do you! Could you, uh, maybe give me like five minutes and I'll bring them?'' the older asked him, nervously fiddling with his thumbs. _Poor guy, his boss probably gives him a hard time,_ Mark thought.  
 ,,Take all the time you want, Taeyong!'' he smiled brightly, really trying to get across that the angelic (?) being has nothing to be stressed about. Well, except the whole Mark-doesn't-actually-belong-here part, but what the eyes can'’ see won't hurt the heart, right?  
 ,,Thanks, Mark! I'll be back in a bit!'' And with that, he hurriedly exited the house, leaving Mark alone with all his worries.  
 ,,Ooookay, let's look at the whole thing. Someone else with my name is supposed to be here, but I'm here instead of them….,'' the boy mumbled to himself, walking from one corner of the room to the other, trying to organize his thoughts.  
,,...And I definitely did _not_ do all those cool things in my life, that's for sure…''  
The only things Mark could recall from his _actual_ life were: a lot of late night instant ramen, loads and loads of stress, this very empty lonely feeling and a dull pain in his temples. Not as fun as being a volunteer firefighter-surgeon, he could tell you that much.  
But before he could try to remember anything else, a knock on the door brought him back to reality.  
 ,,Mark, I'd like you to meet someone very important,'' Taeyong's cheerful tone made the boy relax a bit, suddenly getting excited to meet his, well, not-Mark's, soulmate.  
When he turned around to see who the mysterious person was, he was kind of surprised to see that not-Mark's soulmate was a boy around his height. Well, at least heaven isn't heteronormative.  
 ,,This right here is Donghyuck. I'll leave you two alone so you can have some bonding time, I hate these introduction things,'' the pink haired man laughed light-heartedly and left the house once again, leaving a trail of golden glitter behind. Well, not really, but no one would be surprised if he did.  
It was quiet for a second, before Mark realized how rude it was to just…. stand there and stare at the boy.  
 ,,Hi! My name is Mark!'' he put his hand out awkwardly to do that lame, dry handshake that adults do, since hugging the boy seemed kind of weird, considering that it was their first ever interaction.  
 ,,I-I'm Donghyuck. Nice to meet you,'' Donghyuck carefully took his hand and shook it, making a huge weight lift off Mark's shoulders. He did not want to have a _handshake_ rejected.  
 ,,S-so, uh, Donghyuck, why don't you tell me about yourself?'' the ravenette smiled, trying to maintain the firefighting-surgeon vibe that not-Mark would've had if he were here.  
 ,,Well, I spent most of my time fighting against racism and colourism in South Korea, and Southeast Asia. It wasn't a very long life, I admit, but it was really fun and I really dedicated my life to making an impact on the world, so I don't think it was wasted time,'' the boy smiled in a way that would put the sun at shame, his brown eyes glimmering like soft candlelight.  
 ,,Whoa, that's really impressive. Now I feel kind of embarrassed, haha,'' Mark scratched the back of his head again Centimeter style, but this time it wasn't to seem like a cool anime character, but simply because he was that fucking embarrassed. This guy was _definitely_ younger than him and he did more good in his short life than Mark could've done in an average human lifetime. If he wasn't a hundred percent sure that there has been a fuck up before, he was definitely sure now. There's _no way_ that this guy could be his soulmate. No way on Earth.  
 ,,Oh, no need! It was mostly just protests and making petitions… it's really not as cool as it sounds.'' Now the other boy seemed flustered, his tan face flushed red.  
 ,,Still cooler than just studying, haha.'' Again, technically not a lie. Mark _did_ faintly remember studying a lot for something.  
 ,,What did you study?'' Donghyuck smiled, tilting his head curiously to a side, reminding the other of a kitten.  
 ,,U-uh, medicine. I was studying to be a surgeon,'' the ravenette forced the lies through his teeth, immediately regretting not telling the boy the truth.  
 ,,Whoa! That's _way_ cooler than my thing. I bet you would've saved so many people's lives,'' not-Mark's soulmate's widened in awe, which was the cutest thing yes-Mark has ever seen.  
 ,,Ah, I wouldn't say that…,'' he trailed off, guilt eating him up in the inside. For some reason, he felt incredibly bad for lying to this guy.  
After that, the two were quiet for a while, not knowing what to say.  
Mark, however, was deep in thought.  
 I think I should tell him… But then again, what if he rats me out to Taeyong and I'll like… go to hell or something? Lying to him feels really awful though…  
You could see steam coming out of the boy's ears from how hard his brain was working right now. What on Earth should he do?  
 ,,Um, Mark? Are you okay?'' Donghyuck laughed at the other's focused face.  
 ,,H-huh? Oh, yeah, totally, haha.'' Mark laughed for the tenth billion times that day, not knowing what else to do when all these thoughts were running around his head.  
 ,,Okay… It's just, you've been staring at that ceramic bowl full of pebbles for a while now,'' the tanner boy giggled, flustering the other.  
 ,,Haha, it's just, you see, there's something I need to share with you.'' Mark what are you doing.  
 ,,Oooh, a secret perhaps?'' Donghyuck wiggled his eyebrows, his lips forming a mischievous grin.  
 ,,Something like that.'' Mark, don't do it.  
 ,,Spill!''  
 ,,So, you see...'' Mark. Mark, don't.  
 ,,Yes?'' the younger shifted in his seat, the anticipation killing him.  
Mark, take a deep breath and think about what you’re doing-  
 ,,Long story short, there's been a big mistake.''

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twitter


	2. nothing hits closer to home than two teenagers ignoring their issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> maria insinuated thatd shed read this and i got scared and had to post this. shout out to maria. im very scared of her.  
> follow me on twitter please im begging @/heavenlyhyo

  ,,Huh?''  
That was everything Donghyuck was able to say after Mark told him everything in the form of the world’s longest run-on sentence.  
 ,,I'm sorry for, uh, ruining everything for you. I know I'm not the person you expected,'' the ravenette bowed his head, feeling even guiltier now that he explained everything to his not-soulmate.  
This guy deserved an _actual_ soulmate. Not a glitch in the system like this Mark was.  
 ,,Well,” Donghyuck started, still deep in thought.  
 ,,Yeah?” the other boy hasn’t stopped staring at the ground yet, guilt not leaving him even for a second.   
 ,,You said you don’t remember stuff, right? Maybe there was no mistake, maybe your memories just haven’t fully resurfaced yet!” The tan boy exclaimed enthusiastically, his eyes shining with determination and unearned confidence about the matter.  
 ,,Wha- What do you mean?'' Saying Mark was shocked was an understatement. I mean, he just spent an hour explaining to the other boy just how utterly fucked he was, yet he just… decides to ignore it and blame it on something as simple as a not fully regained memory? The ravenette had to admit that _that_ was a level of i'll-ignore-my-problems-until-they-go-away-ness that not even _he_ has yet achieved.   
 ,,Like I said, you don't exactly _know_ everything about your past, so how can you be a hundred percent certain that those _weren't_ your memories? I say you should just forget about that weird feeling and go with the flow! As long as Taeyong doesn't know, you're golden,'' Donghyuck shrugged, apparently not as bothered as he seemed while Mark was confessing that he's basically the evil lurking in the garden of Eden.  
 ,,How are you so calm? I literally just told you that I'm in heaven _illegally_ and that it's only a matter of time before someone finds out and you're just…. telling me to keep it to myself?'' The older boy was getting more and more confused. Just a minute ago, the other seemed absolutely astounded, and now he's absolutely calm and encouraging the other to commit identity theft in heaven. This day was definitely not going as planned.  
 But then again, Mark was dead, so he really didn't have any plans to begin with.  
 ,,Basically, yeah,'' Donghyuck nodded and leaned back on the unnecessarily huge couch, completely unbothered.  
 ,,Do you like… mean that seriously or are you masking the fact that you're just as confused as I am?''  
 ,,Well. Um, kinda? I can't come up with a solution _right now_ , so I'll just pretend that it doesn't bother me until I come up with a different idea,'' he explained, while he was still looking for a perfect seating position. These big couches were always hell to figure out.  
 ,,O-oh. I mean, I guess that's better than what I've been doing for the past two hours, which is freaking out and waiting till I'm alone so that I can hyperventilate in peace, haha,'' Mark chuckled, some of the tension lifting off his shoulders.  
Donghyuck laughed at his misery which also made him feel a little bit better. I mean, laughing at someone's joke means you were bonding with them, right? And what Mark really needed in this situation was to have someone he can trust. What better choice did he have than his not-soulmate?  
 ,,Just take it easy for now. We'll figure something out. Now, do you wanna watch movies and bond?'' The boy's casualness has taken the ravenette aback once again. But it was also a breath of fresh air, after spending the past hour or so feeling like the world's biggest con artist.  
 ,,U-uh, yeah, I guess?''  
 ,,Cool. Do you wanna watch _Aladdin_ or _Princess And the Frog?''_

 _  
_  ,,For the last time, Tiana is a _dumbass_ for falling in love with that guy! He absolutely did _not_ deserve her!''  
 ,,You take that back right now! She showed him a completely different perspective and changed him for the better in like _two days_ ! She's an absolute queen and she _deserves_ to marry a prince!''  
 ,,Ugh, whatever.''  
The boys' struggles were completely thrown out of the window the second the movie started playing. Or, after the first song. Turns out that Donghyuck can hit notes so high that Mark almost couldn't hear them.  
Also, they came to the conclusion that this movie was _severely_ slept on and deserved way more hype than it got.  
 ,,I mean, a movie about a hard-working woman of color that follows her dreams, despite how much effort and will power it takes and _actually_ fulfills them? _And_ she marries a prince on top of that? Shit deserved an Oscar _and_ a Grammy for those absolute musical _masterpieces!''_ Donghyuck fussed, crossing his arms at his chest and shaking his head disapprovingly. He was obviously very emotionally invested in this cartoon movie.  
 ,, _And_ it's the classic Disney animation style! None of that weird Pixar shit that they're up to lately!'' Mark nodded energetically, also very passionate about the matter.  
 ,,I seriously miss their old animations… Press f,'' the other boy pouted, now feeling very nostalgic, remembering all the times he watched old Disney movies and felt like an absolute bad bitch, just because he knew all the words to the biggest bops. He didn't really have any other memories connected to them other than that.  
After that, the room was quiet for the first ever time since their little introduction scene. Mark had to admit, the silence was very welcome after hearing having to go through an hour and a half of the other boy screaming at the tv and constantly calling Naveen a thot.  
And the silence would've probably continued, if it weren't for Donghyuck's sudden epiphany.  
 ,,YOU LOOK EXACTLY LIKE MILO!'' he gasped and grabbed Mark's face to inspect it more thoroughly. The said boy tried to avoid getting his face smushed, but to no avail. Hyuck was just way too invested in finding traits that Mark and that Milo thing had in common.  
 ,,Let go dude,'' Mark laughed while trying to fight the other off and prevent him from clogging his pores too much.  
 ,,I was right! The resemblance is uncanny! Do you wear glasses by any chance?'' Donghyuck still sat very close to the boy, not taking his eyes off his face.  
 ,,Sometimes? I mean, I used to, I think, but my eyesight is great here.'' Mark mentally fist bumped himself at that, happy to have remembered at least that. It was a very welcome surprise, after not being sure about literally anything his brain was telling him.  
 ,,Whoa that's crazy. Ugh, no we _have_ to watch Atlantis! Give me a sec.'' The boy searched for said movie on what Mark could only assume, was heaven Netflix until mumbling an ''aha!'' and pressing play.  
As great as this was going, Mark had to address the still _very_ present elephant in the room.  
 ,,Are we gonna spend the whole day watching Disney movies and ignoring the fact that I'm probably the one and only colossal mistake in heaven has ever done? Cause, like, I'm down, but I'm also painfully aware that, now that _you_ know I'm a fraud, it puts you at risk, too,'' the ravenette fumbled around the hem of his shirt in order to calm himself down a little and to avoid crying in front of his not-soulmate.  
 ,,Yeah. We're gonna spend the whole day watching Disney movies until I figure something out. Now, pay attention to the movie or so help me…!'' Hyuck wagged his finger disapprovingly, scooting closer to Mark. This boy sure was clingy.  
Mark was having none of that, however, and scooted away. He's not gonna give out cuddles for free. Who was he, a whore?  
 ,,You're so mean.'' A pout settled on Donghyuck's lips again, the boy hugging his knees to his chest, resembling a small cartoon bear. Mark laughed at the sight, still nowhere near giving in to the other's affection. No homo, you know. I mean, yes homo, it's 2019, he wasn't homophobic, but, no homo, you know? That's how it goes.  
 ,,This is all toxic masculinity's fault!'' the tan boy puffed out his cheeks, now looking even more like an angry toddler than before.  
 ,,Have you _maybe_ considered the option that I just don't want to cuddle with a person I just met, perhaps?'' A giggle left Mark's lips again as he was saying that, which made Hyuk even madder.  
 ,,Well! Your loss! Heaven knows I give the best cuddles...'' he whined angrily, turning away from the other boy to give his i'm-mad-at-you thing more pizzaz.  
 ,,Weren't you the one that was _just_ scolding me about not paying attention to the movie?''  
 ,,Oh shut up,'' Donghyuck laughed and dropped the angry act, now fully focusing on the screen. After a few seconds, a high pitched squeal left his lips, his hand pointing at the main character.  
 ,,He looks just like you!! Oh my god, he _really_ does!''  
Mark rolled his eyes at that but still took a proper look at the protagonist. To be perfectly honest, he didn't see the resemblance. But if Donghyuck thought so, he wasn't going to fight him. He's only known the boy for about two hours, but he was very aware of the fact that the younger would be ready to throw hands the second Mark disagreed with him on something _this_ important. So, naturally, he kept his mouth shut.  
 ,,I guess,'' was the answer he settled on, now trying to tune out the other boy's never-ending ''omg ur the irl milo''ing.  
He must've tuned it out really well, because the next thing he knew, he fell asleep in the embrace of the monstrously big couch, all the stress actually leaving him for once.  
  
  
,,...Shh, don't wake him up!'' Mark could hear a familiar voice hiss, which, however, wasn't enough to quite wake him up. So his sleepy brain decided to ignore it and continue catching his well-deserved z's.  
Then he felt something stabbing him in the cheek. And that was just. Too much.  
 He was awake now and he was coming for blood.  
 ,,What the fuck-?'' the boy mumbled, trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes.  
 ,,Ugh, good job, Neo! You woke him up!'' the same familiar voice complained.  
_Huh?_ _  
_ When Mark finally opened his eyes, he was surprised (=shocked and disturbed) to see Donghyuck leaning over him with circle glasses in his hand, and another guy standing next to the couch and blankly staring at him.  
That, of course, made him jump back as far as he possibly could in his still very tired and disoriented state.  
 ,,What the hell?'' he groaned, rubbing his cheek where Donghyuck previously stabbed him with what he could only assume were the glasses.  
 ,,Oh right. This is Neo, Mark. He's, like, a robot guy that knows everything, basically,'' Mr Stabbington explained, giving ''Neo'' a hopefully joking angry look.  
 ,,I'm not a robot. I am a being designed to make humans in the afterlife as happy as possible,'' Neo corrected the boy with a warm smile, his hands crossed behind his back in the way that only those butlers in old British shows cross them.  
 ,,Yeah, Neo right here really has my back,'' Donghyuck nodded, still trying to put the glasses on Mark's face to no avail.  
 ,,That's cool,'' said the ravenette with a cold expression, while fighting off the other boy's attempts to put the spectacles on him.  
 ,,My mind has a wide variety of things of things I can do, give or show you. From culture to various tech things.'' Neo was still smiling, even though those sentences were kind of broken. He _was_ very polite, so both boys let it slide.  
 ,,Thanks for the glasses, Neo, you really got my back, dude. Bye!'' Donghyuck thanked the not-robot, and he just… disappeared. Which was pretty cool, Mark thought to himself.  
Right after Neo went away, and after I realized how much I'm overusing the word ''after'', Hyuck immediately went back to his initial goal, which was to make the ravenette wear Milo glasses.  
 , ,Leave me alone, dude!'' Mark howled, desperately throwing himself off the couch in an attempt to run away from the younger's spectacle-wielding hands.  
 ,,You can't run from me!'' the boy laughed evil-ly, running after the older, now engaged in a very deadly game of tag.  
I mean, this was a house neither of them could navigate through. Seems pretty deadly.  
The boys' laugh echoed through the rooms of the house, their screeching bouncing off the walls, making them giggle even more.  
But then Mark took the wrong turn, and ended up in a dead end, trapped between a wall adorned with some framed stock images of dolphins, and Donghyuck's nearing steps.  
Now, he had two choices. Either he gives up and loses or…. Well, that was it, really. He only had one choice.  
 ,,Mark~'' Oh no. That sickly sweet tone could only mean one thing. The ginger (-Mark has decided that the boy's hair color was ginger after two long hours trying to figure it out-) knew he was about to win, and he was going to bask in his victory.  
Mark's last shimmering flame of hope went out when Hyuck came from behind the corner, the glasses still grasped in his hands.  
 ,,Put on the glasses, you coward!'' said the boy, a victorious glimmer in his eyes.  
 ,,Never!'' the ravenette screamed, trying to snake his way out between the other boy and the wall. That, however, did not work. Donghyuck won.  
With a deep sigh, Mark took the thin golden frames from the other's hand and put them on with a defeated grimace on his face.  
That frown was quickly turned upside down after he saw Hyuck's reaction.  
 ,,You look _so_ adorable!'' the boy squealed, drinking up the now four-eyes' appearance with glittering eyes.  
 ,,Do I?'' Mark chuckled, trying to contain his grin. I mean, who doesn't get drunk on compliments? He certainly does.  
Donghyuck nodded, still staring at him as if he was something ethereal that he's never seen before. In a purely professional sense, of course. He was just carrying out the Milo prophecy.  
  ,,Whoa, you really _do_ look like Milo. I'm a genius,'' he patted himself on the shoulder, clearly proud of coming up with the idea of forcing Mark to wear circle glasses.  
  ,,Sure,'' said irl-Milo, grinning from ear to ear. What a great way to lose tag.  
Their game officially came to an end when they heard a knock on the door.  
Both of them looked at each other with a puzzled expression. Apparently, they both forgot that there are other people in heaven.  
 Mark was quickly thrown back into his anxious state, his mind going through hundreds and hundreds of different ways the knocking person knew he was a liar.  
All the giddiness left him and he was once again alone with his racing thoughts and shaky hands, scared of what might be behind the door.  
Clearly, he wasn't alone in this, which was something he realized when Donghyuck took him by the shoulders and shook him by them until he came back to his senses.  
 ,,Dude, it's gonna be fine. Remember, if they didn't know anything when you came here, they definitely don't know anything now, yeah? Now, take a deep breath and go answer the door.''  
Mark gulped nervously, but nodded, while staring at the ground.  
Donghyuck sighed, and then dragged him by the wrist to the door. Which was _still_ being knocked on, by the way. What a persistent person that had to be.  
 When he mustered up the courage to open it, he was greeted by two male figures. One was tall as fuck, and the other was literally pocket sized.  
 ,,Hi! I'm Ten, your neighbor. This is my soulmate Lucas,'' the bite-sized one smiled, handing Mark a pot with some sort of flower crown-wearing cactus. A strange housewarming gift, he must admit, but a nice gesture nonetheless.  
 ,,H-Hey, uh, Ten,'' he greeted back, still very confused by why the two men were there.  
 ,,Lucas and I are hosting kind of a small party at our house to welcome everyone. We thought it could be like a cute event where soulmates like you- You are soulmates, I assume?'' Ten looked at them quickly, making sure he wasn't flustering them.  
 Before Mark could say anything dumb in his stressed state, Donghyuck quickly grabbed his hand with a sweet smile and nodded.  
 ,,How adorable! As I was saying, I- oh and Lucas, of course- thought it'd be a marvelous idea to prepare a cute little evening party where couples could get to know each other and the others! It's not going to be anything _too_ fancy, so just come as you are,'' the short man smiled brightly. Those smiles seemed very strange to Mark for some reason, but he couldn't quite point out why.  
 ,,I'm- We're looking forward to seeing you there!'' Ten bid goodbye for both himself and the tall, and seemingly very quiet, man next to him.  
When the door closed behind them, Mark and Donghyuck stared at it for a while, still not really sure whether giving someone a cactus was a weird thing to do, or if they just weren’t adult enough to understand housewarming gifts.  
 ,,Am I being a dick, or were those two like really weird?'' The ginger broke the silence with a question they were both asking themselves.  
 ,,They were weird. That Ten guy seemed hella fake for some reason,'' Mark added, meanwhile wondering how anyone could be that short.  
 ,,He seemed alright. The Lucas dude creeped me out tho. He didn't say anything the whole time! He seemed more like Ten's bodyguard than his soulmate tbh...'' the other boy trailed off, also not understanding how anyone could be either of the men's heights.  
While Mark's mind was still puzzled by the interaction that just took place, Donghyuck was already thinking about something else.  
 ,,So,'' he grinned at the still-four-eyes, ''are we going?''


	3. rich people events are stressful: an essay by mark lee pt1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was rlly tired and decided to write one more filler because people just LOVE fillers (: the next chapter gets a lil spicy, but more of like a white people kind of spicy. like, a little salt and pepper, maybe. some cinnamon if ur brave. what im saying is that the boring shit is ending and fun stuff will unfold next. so. yeah. fun. stan nct and follow me on twt @/heavenlyhyo xoxo love yall idk

   ,,W-what?''  
 ,,You heard me,'' said Donghyuck on his way back to the living room. ,,Do you wanna go to the weirdos' party or not?''  
Mark didn't really know what t say to that. I mean, _of_ _course_ he didn't want to go. But he felt like he couldn't exactly do that. I mean, they gave him a CACTUS!   
That reminded him that he should probably set it down somewhere, instead of carrying it around like a much needed stress toy.  
 He spent a few seconds deciding whether he should put it on the window sill, next to a little ceramic dolphin, or on the coffee table, next to a framed picture of, you guessed it, a dolphin.  
 ,,Man, the original Mark Lee must've _really_ loved dolphins,'' he thought to himself, now uncomfortably aware of how many weird teeth those water mammals had.   
 ,,He sure did. Now! Answer my question! Wanna go or not?'' Donghyuck asked for the third time now.   
 ,,Uhh, honestly? No. I'd rather sleep,'' Mark admitted, fumbling with the hem of his shirt, feeling awfully lazy all of a sudden.  
 ,,See, I was thinking...'' said the other buy, pulling the ravenette to the edge of his seat. Not literally tho. That'd be kinda invasive and weird.  
 ,,Yeah?''  
 ,,I feel like missing this would be really suspicious to do. For you, anyway. Didn't the Ten dude say he was inviting the whole neighborhood? You can't risk _not_ being there. That would make Taeyong want to check up on you, and god knows what that might lead to!'' Donghyuck explained, sounding genuinely concerned for the boy's well being. Aw. We love nice not-really-strangers-but-not-yet-friends-either in this house.  
 ,,Whoa, dude, you're right,'' Mark agreed, nodding vigorously. He couldn't believe he just almost busted himself! That'd be so embarrassing.  
Just _imagine_ telling that story in hell. Some sinner would be like _so why are you here?_ And Mark would have to say _I basically ratted myself out._ No one in hell would want to sit with him at lunch! How fucking lame.  
 ,,I'm always right. Also, I realized this...'' Hyuck trailed off and stared at the cactus intensely as if it challenged him to a stare-off.  
 ,,What?''  
 ,,Upsexy,'' he replied, still not breaking eye contact with the cactus.  
 ,,What's _upsexy?''_ Mark wondered out loud, not seeing the bigass lion's den he just jumped into.  
 ,, _Mark!_ Keep it in your pants, we _just_ met!'' Donghyuck cackled, high-fiving himself. He sure got him good. He lost against the cactus tho. Unfortunate.  
,,Wha- _Oh.''_ The other boy couldn't believe this. He just fell for the oldest and dumbest joke in the history of jokes. His memory loss must be _really_ fucking severe to do him dirty like that.   
 ,,Hey, look at the bright side! That just really confirms you aren't making up this whole amnesia thing! You should thank me, honestly,'' shrugged the tanner boy, still giggling at the fact that he just absolutely _destroyed_ Mark.   
 ,,Why aren't you taking this seriously.'' The flustered victim of an old joke crossed his arms on his chest like an angry child.   
 ,,Okay, okay, I'll stop,'' Hyuck took a few deep breaths to make the laughter bubbling in his chest died down. ,,Right. So, I _actually_ realized something. You said you don't remember, right? Then who's to tell you _don't_ belong here? I say you try being as good as you possibly can here, just to make sure. But I wouldn't stress it.''  
Mark thought about the other's words for a few minutes.  
_He_ is _right. How do I know that I wasn't a great person?_ he asked himself, still not fully convinced though. I mean, he might just as well have been, like, a serial killer or something. The odds aren't exactly in his favor.  
But Donghyuck _did_ have a point. Trying to be as good as possible was Mark's best option in this situation. If he wasn't a good person in his… human life, he could at least get some extra credit by being a good person in the afterlife. If anyone ever finds out he doesn't belong, he can just say _b-but I was good here tho_ puppy eyes emoji and call it a day.  
 ,,Sounds great. You mean, like, extra points for my karma or whatever, right? Kind of like if I had an awful absence in my classes and then tried to fix it with extra work at the end of the semester?''  
 ,,No, you can't think of it that way! Then it won't count! You need to do everything honestly, with pure intentions,'' Donghyuck corrected him, shaking his head disapprovingly.  ,,Now I'm kind of doubting my whole what-if-you-were-a-good-person idea, to be completely honest.''  
Mark frowned upon hearing that. He'd still be a good person, right? Why wouldn't it count then?  
 ,,Why?''  
 ,,Are you seriously asking me why you need to have good intentions?'' The other boy stared at him with a blank face, not believing his own ears.  
 ,,No! Well, kind of? Well, yeah, I guess. Like, I'd still be doing good things, right?'' Mark started to feel really bad now. Hearing his own words made him feel awful, but he swore they sounded less stupid in his head.  
 ,,Not really, no. I mean, you have to look it from the perspective of the person you're helping. They won't feel the same sort of joy and or relief they would've felt if you helped them simply because you really _wanted_ to help. You know?'' Donghyuck looked over at Mark to make sure he understood what he was trying to explain. Apparently, he did not, since he was just kind of… staring at him.  
 ,,Uhh.''  
 ,,You know what? Bad explanation. What if…. you saw an old lady carrying way too many grocery bags? What do you think would be better: helping her because she needs help, or helping because you want to feel good about yourself?''  
 ,,Helping her… because she needs help?''  
 ,,You're guessing now, aren't you?''  
 ,,Absolutely.''  
Upon hearing that, the heaviest of all sighs left Donghyuck's lips.  
 This was going to take some time.  
  
  
 ,,I am absolutely, by no means, not at all, most definitely _not_ qualified to say this, but oh my god, are you one stupid motherfucker.''  
Neither of the boys realized how fucking _stressful_ this whole conversation would be.  
Turns out that the Mark Lee sitting in this living room was most likely not the _goodest_ person. From what both the boys could tell, he was mediocre at _best._ __  
And that was not enough to earn a place in heaven.  
 ,,Oh fuck off. What did _you_ do in your life, hmm?'' Mark smirked, thinking that he trapped Hyuck in a corner. Bet he couldn't answer that one.  
 ,,I fought against colorism in Southeast Asia since I was, like, fifteen. What did _you_ do?'' the boy replied, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. ,,You were literally told that like… five hours ago. Guess you really _do_ belong in hell, or whatever funky name they have for that here, since forgetting such a crucial detail about someone probably has a negative impact on your point total.''  
 ,,Yo, I get that you're trying to roast me, but _holy shit,_ could you start using shorter sentences?'' Mark asked, massaging his temples in an attempt to collect his thoughts and get rid of the headache that was slowly but surely coming. Arguing was _not_ one of his best skills.  
 ,,I don't know. Can you maybe stop being a whiny bitch when I'm trying to teach you stuff?''  
 ,,Okay, good point. But seriously, my head kind of hurts, do you think we could not talk about important things like that for a moment?'' he pleaded, wondering if there was, like, advil or whatever y'all call headache meds in english, in any of the kitchen cabinets.  
Judging from what he's seen in this house so far, there were probably other pictures of dolphins.  
,,Oh! Yeah, totally. Jeez, I went off, didn't I?'' Hyuck giggled nervously, ''let's, uh, get to know each other better, how about that!''  
The room was silent for a brief second, crickets chirping in the background.  
 ,,I literally do not know a single thing about myself, but, you can totally talk about yourself. I could at least get to know _you_ properly, since you're my not-soulmate and all that,'' Mark offered, now searching the kitchen for at least a cup. So far, the only ones he found had dolphin motifs on them. Okay, he understood having a favorite animal, but this was just a little bit overkill, right? This fucking guy probably had dolphin themed bed sheets.  
 ,,No, that's weird. I don't want to talk about myself,'' Donghyuck shook his head, obviously not being fond of the idea.   
 ,,I'll ask you questions! How about, what are your hobbies? That's a great question, right?''  
 ,,Uhh. I like music, and stuff. L-like, singing and playing the piano? Yeah. I like doing that.'' The tan boy seemed shy all of a sudden, for a reason unknown to Mark.   
 ,,Dude, that's so cool! Are you any good? Scratch that, I bet my kidneys you're good. The way you sang _Almost There_ gave me goosebumps!''  
 ,,I-I wouldn't say I'm good. But thank you. Means a lot,'' Hyuck grinned at him, mentally high-fiving himself for not overdoing it with the _pff shut up im not good you liar_ thing people tend to do when they're being complimented.  
 ,,Anytime, dude!''  
 ,,You say _dude_ an awful lot, did you ever notice that?''  
 ,,All the time, dude.'' Mark giggled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. Being around Donghyuck helped him take his mind off things, which was great, considering how much shit he was in.  
 They just kinda sat around for a moment, enjoying the much-needed silence and thinking about all the dolphins that were currently staring at them.  
 ,,Shouldn’t we, like, get ready?” Hyuck chimed up, disturbing the calm air.  
 ,,Uh, didn’t they say to come as we are? I don’t want to be overdressed,” the other boy admitted. Being overdressed was lame, especially at a stranger’s party. I mean, you don’t really have anyone to impress so why go through the trouble?  
 ,,See, if an _obviously_ rich person invites you somewhere, you can’t just ‘come as you are’. You have to look _good.”_ The ginger boy shook his head at Mark’s naivety. ,,They’re definitely going to look like a million bucks. You can’t show up in jeans and a hoodie.”  
The ravenette took a proper look at what he was wearing upon hearing that. Black jeans and a blue hoodie. Lame indeed.  
 ,,I have some experience with rich people events and trust me when I tell you that it's not fun being underdressed there.” And just like that, the tan boy ran out of the house without giving Mark a chance to even say bye.  
In his opinion, _no_ good humanitarian would ever do that. It’s against the good person code. Or so he thought. He wasn’t sure about anything, really, other than that he hated how instant ramen smelled when you let it sit too long. And when the vegetable oil and seasoning, like, bunch up on the sides? Gross.  
 He just sat there for a while, thinking about cup noodles and how easy it is to fuck them up. Like, if you forget it on the counter when the noodles are cooking and the salt and stuff are dissolving, when you find it, it’s just going to be a disgusting soggy mess. And that’s just not good, neither for the soup nor Mark. No one gains anything. Stupid fucking soup.  
 He spent about half an hour laying on the couch, changing positions from time to time, just to give his blood flow a nice little surprise. It got repetitive very quickly, though, so he decided to go change.   
But then he realized one crucial thing. He had _nothing_ to change into. And even if the original Mark had clothes somewhere in this uncomfortably big house, they probably had little sealife patches on it, which, no offense to OG Mark, wasn't anyone's go-to party attire.  
__Wait. Didn't Donghyuck summon, like, a robot guy that could do anything?  
In that moment, Mark felt completely and utterly blessed.  
Or, he _would_ have _,_ if he didn't forget that fucking guy's name  
 ,,Great…,'' mumbled the boy, whilst taking another long look at his clothes.  
It would have to do, he thought. But then he remembered that his not-soulmate would probably be dressed to impress the gods, judging from what he said before, and suddenly, Mark felt uneasy.   
I mean, it was obvious that the other boy was already very… aesthetically pleasing. Just _imagine_ what he'd look like all glammed up. Mark was envious already.  
 A knock at the door broke his train of thoughts, forcing him to come to terms with the very low effort outfit he has been wearing the whole day. Great.  
He wanted to stew in his sadness and self-disappointment a little longer, but then he opened the door and his jaw dropped, making all his negative thoughts fly out of the window.  
 Before him stood an animefied version of Donghyuck. He had some sort of golden shimmer around his doe-like eyes, the same sort of gleam adorning his cheekbones and the tip of his nose. He was clad in high waisted black pants and a flowy white shirt with some dainty ruffles on sleeves. He looked… dreamy I am _so_ funny.  
 ,,You look like a prince,'' Mark blurted out without thinking, quickly slapping his palm over his mouth, his face already going red. That was so uncool of him.  
Donghyuck laughed at that, flushing a little bit himself. The ravenette's indiscretion was very refreshing. Especially after he spent three hours packing on his highlight. Well, maybe not _hours,_ but it sure felt like it to him!  
 ,,Thanks, Mark-''  
 ,,What's that glittery stuff on your cheeks?'' Mark cut him off, getting closer to inspect the almost other-worldly glow. If there was a way to make yourself look royal and radiant, he needed to know.  
 ,,It's highlighter,'' mumbled the boy, slightly backing away from the ravenette, his cheeks now dusted with a light red. I don't know about you, but he thought it was pretty flustering to have a cute boy inspecting his face this up close. Also, he really didn't feel like redoing it if Mark happened to mess it up.  
 ,,Whoa.'' That's all Mark could muster up, his eyes not leaving Hyuck's face for a second. Was he also good at makeup, aside from all the other things he seemed to excel in?? Mark felt robbed. All he knew he was good at was…. Well, he wasn't really sure. But it __definitely wasn't as cool as makeup, he was certain about that.  
 ,,Shouldn't we go?'' asked the apparently certified mua, secretly excited to show off his winged liner work to that pretentious goblin and his stupidly tall boyfriend.  
 ,,Uh-huh,'' answered the other, now focused on Donghyuck's glittery gold eyelids, his eyelashes fluttering delicately. Thesaurus dot com really has my back, I'll tell you that.  
 ,,Okay…..,'' Donghyuck trailed off, grasping Mark's wrist and basically dragging him in the direction of Eleven's and Tall Bitch's house.  
This was going to be… interesting.

  
  


When they arrived, Mark has finally snapped out of his trance, now _really_ embarrassed by how underdressed he looked next to the literal prince by his side.  
 I mean, he was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, while the other was dressed like royalty and basically glowing for the _gods._ __  
 ,,You look fine,'' Donghyuck reassured him as if he could read his mind. Mark half-smiled as a thank you, still feeling like someone you'd meet at a gas station on a really long road trip. You know, when you stop understanding the concept of time and everything feels unreal, and then you see someone from the corner of your eye, and they look fucking ratchet? Mark felt like that.   
Instead of worrying about his appearance, he now took a long look at the two weirdos' residence. Before him stood a giant mansion straight out of a history movie, with tall windows, through which a soft golden light escaped and music and laughter could be heard faintly.  
It was definitely not small, he could tell you that. And he thought _his_ house was unnecessarily big. These guys could house a whole __city.  
 ,,This is fucking huge,'' whispered Donghyuck, clearly taken aback.  
 ,,That's what she said,'' muttered Mark, chuckling when the other boy punched him in the shoulder. Jesus these two were so lame.  
After a few more punches and occasional ''istg ill kick u in the stomach''s, it was time to finally enter the seemingly unreal house. Like, who on earth could afford that? Not Mark, that's for sure.  
 Upon opening the door and carefully slithering their way in, so that no one would notice Mark's poor choice of clothing, their ''let's just kinda hide somewhere and then leave so that those two can't judge us'' plan was doomed to fail because _of course_  it did.  
 ,,Mark! Donghyuck! Welcome!'' a cheerful voice greeted them, making their blood turn cold.  
Ten basically skipped to them, flashing a bright smile. _Obviously_ , he looked like the embodiment of a Gucci perfume commercial. Mark wasn’t sure what that meant, but he knew it was a damn good comparison. This man looked a classy disco ball!  
 ,,I'm so glad you came! Taeyong told me about how _great_ you guys were when you were alive! How admirable! You're so young, too!'' Ten complimented (?) them, still smiling.  
 ,,U-uh, yeah,'' Mark stuttered, not really knowing what to say, at which Donghyuck sighed.  
 ,,Thank you, Ten! Your house is very beautiful!  And, my god, are you wearing highlighter all over your face, or is your skin just _that_ radiant?'' Damn. This dude was a professional at sweet talk! Mark took a mental note that he'd have to convince the boy to teach him sometimes.  
 ,,Oh, shush. I must say, your outfit is just _adorable,_ Donghyuck. The seashell white against your skin just creates such a wonderful contrast, I can't get enough of it!''-he took a quick glance at Mark-''and it goes _so well_ with the white of Mark's shoelaces! It's just _so_ cute to see soulmates in matching outfits! Young love is truly inspirational!'' Ten giggled, flustering the boys to an incredible extent.  
 ,,Yepp, that was totally intentional,'' Mark nodded, fake coughing to hide his embarrassed flush with his hand.  
 ,,How sweet! That reminds me, me and Lucas are also matching-- Ugh, where did he go now?'' the short man mumbled, turning in different directions in search of his impossibly tall companion, which really couldn't have been _that_ difficult, considering the guy's height. ,,He's always just walking around, you know, being the intellectual that he is. You know, deep thought spirals and such,'' Ten kept on mumbling under his breath, seemingly worried. ,,Oh! That reminds me, I didn't even properly introduce myself! I spent my life on Earth dedicating myself to charity work, and a little bit of professional dance and modeling on the side.''  
_Way to be humble…,_ Mark thought. This guy seemed to be _very_ proud of himself. Maybe he was being too harsh, though. I mean, it's not like _he_ ever did any charity work. In fact, he's not sure he's ever done _anything_ so he should probably cut the guy some slack.  
 ,,Hmm, that is indeed very cool.'' Way to fucking go, Mark. Since when has the word _indeed_ made anyone seem smart? Truly embarrassing.  
 ,,What he _meant_ to say is that your work must've been really admirable,'' Donghyuck beamed while elbowing Mark in the ribs to shut him up.   
 ,,You two are just _so_ cute! There's nothing more heartwarming than couples like you! On first sight, you seem like complete opposites, yet you compliment each other so well! Kind of like me and Lucas. You know, he's kind of… quiet, but you can tell he's always deep in thought. He spent his life without talking, only communicating through nimble touches and his _wonderful_ poetry. It's _such_ a shame that I can't introduce him to you guys...''.  
 With every word Ten let out, Mark got a little dizzier. I mean, he only knows three people in heaven and he _already_ knows that all these people would probably despise him if they ever found out he got there just because of a glitch in the system. All these incredible, accomplished humanitarians and artists. They were the only ones who should get to enjoy the wonders this place could offer, which he hasn't even discovered yet.  
  He felt wrong and out of place. Unworthy.  
  The host's words have turned into white noise, leaving the boy to spiral down, his uneasiness turning into a physical one, as his throat started closing up, making breathing more and more difficult to focus on.  
  Luckily for him, Ten has moved on to a different couple of guests, letting Mark finally take a breath without having to think about what if the quite realistic _guest throws up on host because guest has an anxiety attack at host's party_ scenario took place.  
 ,,Dude, I feel so bad right now,'' he whispered, not even sure if Donghyuck could hear him. Ten might've left, but his headache was getting more and more unbearable, dull pain in his chest only adding to his misery.  
 ,,What, why? Are you uncomfortable in crowds?'' the other asked worriedly, checking Mark's face for any sign of pain.   
 ,,No. It's just… A lot. You know?'' Mark muttered, staring intensely, not being able to meet his not-soulmate's concerned gaze. He just met this guy today, he couldn't let him see him this vulnerable. And he _definitely_ couldn't cry in front of him. Nevermind do anything worse.  
Yet here he was, letting Donghyuck drag him into some sort of unoccupied room and sitting down on an apparently __very expensive armchair.  
 ,,So. Tell me. What's wrong, Mark?'' the better-dressed boy asked, worry lacing his words for a good reason.  
And then Mark broke down in tears.  
  


  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt


	4. rich people events are stressful: an essay by mark lee pt2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha pranked, its another sorta filler. im trying to make the plot move as naturally as possible, so i hope no one's bothered by the slow movement :((( i really enjoy writing this so i hope yall r enjoying it at least a little bit as much skskskskks   
> follow me on twitter @/heavenlyhyo you know the drill

  Mark couldn't stop the sobs escaping his chest, body violently shaking from all the stress finally spilling over. All the guilt and worries he's been ignoring the whole day got too much to bear with, tears falling from his eyes and shattering on his dumb jeans.  
 He could faintly hear Donghyuck's voice, asking him what's wrong, but all Mark could focus on was the crushing weight on his chest and the ringing in his ears.  
  He realized that there was no getting out of this situation. He'd either come clean to Taeyong and suffer for eternity, or he could keep everything to himself, forever bearing this awful secret until it ate him up from the inside.  
 _This is what you get for lying.  
_  But did he even lie? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about anything, but, he never lied to anyone, right? He told the truth to Donghyuck. And he never said anything that wasn't true to Taeyong.  
 He still felt as if though he had broken a rule or hurt someone, but he didn't even remember doing it! He was thrown here with no explanation, without a single memory. Thinking about that made everything worse, his head now spinning even more.  
 How was he supposed to get out of this situation? There were no good options. He could a) absolutely fuck himself over, or b) fuck himself over _even more_ , none of which seemed very appealing.  
 He would've continued hyperventilating and choking on sobs if a pair of arms didn't envelop him in a secure hug. Mark automatically hugged back whatever entity took pity on him, not thinking twice about it. He needed to know his body was still there, and not floating in a different dimension. Which he felt like, by the way. Not great.  
 After a while of sobbing and intently staring at his tears rolling down a smooth white material, that was sticking uncomfortably to his cheek, Mark finally got a sense of his surroundings again. He was never more grateful for having all of his limbs. Experiencing what feeling texture is like is a privilege we don't appreciate enough, he could tell you that.  
 ,,Hey… Feel any better?'' a soft voice asked him.  
 Suddenly, Mark was very aware of everything, almost painfully aware.  
 Which, of course, meant that an overwhelming wave of embarrassment washed over him and made him jump away from the very concerned boy, whom he's been clinging onto like a very snotty koala.  
 ,,H-Huh?? Oh, yeah, right! Totally! No, I, um, I'm really sorry you, uh, had to see, uh, that.'' Mark felt as if ants were crawling all over his burning face, the tears not helping.  
 ,,What? Why are you apologizing? You had a breakdown, don't apologize for _that.''_ Donghyuck laughed, checking Mark's face for any signs of panic. Now he just seemed very flustered and uncomfortable, so all was well.  
 Those ants were still there though.  
,,Yeah, uh, but I cried and stuff. Ugh, ew, I soaked your shirt,'' Mark grimaced, disgusted by the Slovakia-shaped stain on Donghyuck's shirt. He really hoped those were just tears.  
 ,,Crying is a normal thing that everyone does. _Especially_ in a very stressful situation. Speaking of which, what are you stressing about?'' asked Donghyuck bluntly, while sorta petting through Mark's hair in a calming matter. Surprisingly enough, it _was_ working, so Mark let him do it no matter how uncomfortable he would've felt in any other situation.  
 ,,Uh. Everything, sorta. Yeah. I think everything.'' The ravenette stared intently at the ground, trying to make the ants-are-crawling-on-my-face feeling go away with his mind powers.  
 ,, _Oh._ Okay.'' Donghyuck stopped combing through the other's hair, now doing that smart person thinking pose that says _I'm deep in thought_.  
 After a moment of silence, he said: ,,I think you should talk about it. So, Mark Lee, would you give me the honor of telling me what bothers you?''  
 Mark giggled, but nodded, even though he still felt kind of dizzy from all the hyperventilating and invisible ants.  
 With a deep breath (and a weird tick to prevent all the nonexistent ants from doing their ant stuff) he started explaining everything.  
He talked about how everything got to him out of nowhere, and how he felt as if freezing water was poured onto him when Ten was talking to them, and that he was sorry for soiling Hyuck's shirt.  
Donghyuck laughed at that, repeating that it was okay and gesturing for Mark to continue speaking.  
  And Mark did. He sheepishly admitted how the dolphins really scared him, and how the house was uncomfortably big for just him. And he continued to say everything that came to mind, and bit by bit, the weight started lifting off his shoulders.  
  He was just about to complain about how he basically didn't really have a personality, and all he really knew about himself, was the fact that he didn't really enjoy instant ramen if the door of their DIY doctor's office didn't burst open.   
 But it did, and a freakishly tall man sort of clumsily entered, slightly out of breath. He didn't notice the two youngsters until after about a minute and a half has passed by, the two as confused as ever.  
 When he _did_ finally turn around, he gasped, but then tried to cover it by a cough.  
 The two have by that point realized that it's Ten't weird tall boyfriend, Lucas. He gave them a nod as if to say hello without making it seem like he respected them  
Mark and Donghyuck unsurely waved at him, still confused by the giant's rude interruption of their little therapy sesh.  
 Lucas didn't say anything the whole time, he just stood there, looking off into the distance, most likely pretending that him being here has a purpose, so that he wouldn't embarrass himself. That was just Mark's theory though.  
 ,,Hi, Lucas! The party is lovely! Oh, I should probably tell you that Ten was looking for you,'' Donghyuck informed him, probably just trying to convince him to leave.  
 The unreasonably tall man just nodded, and just as he was turning around to leave, the door opened _again,_ just to reveal a very tense Ten, frantically looking around until his eyes stopped on Lucas.  
 ,,Ah, here you are! I couldn't find you anywhere!'' he exhaled, clearly relieved. Then he took a short glance at the other two boys in the room, and all traces of stress seemed to instantly leave his face.  
 ,,Oh, hi you two! Sneaking out to have some alone time at a party, I see?'' Ten wiggled his eyebrows and giggled like a high school girl.  
 Mark and Donghyuck, naturally, went completely red.  
 ,,We just can't keep our hands off each other,'' Donghyuck laughed that perfect rich person laugh, that sounds like money and is the epitome of good etiquette. Mark _really_ had to learn from him.  
 ,,Young love. Oh no, Donghyuck, what happened to your shirt!'' Ten gasped, taking a closer look at the pitiful stain.  
 ,,It's tears,'' Mark blurted out without thinking, not realizing that saying it was a drink would be a way better explanation.  
 The room fell silent, everyone now staring confusedly at Mark, who has never wanted to disappear more that in this very moment.  
 ,,I presume those were happy tears?'' Ten asked the tension from before lacing his words.  
 ,,Actually, it's kind of a funny story. You see, Mark here kinda wandered off and I, being the _amazing_ soulmate that I am, went out to look for him,'' Donghyuck started, cogwheels spinning almost audibly in his brain. ,,And I wouldn't have found him if I didn't hear a dull _thud_ and then a series of angry sobs and a few curses. Turns out Mark kicked himself in the shin on this''-he took an almost unnoticeable pause-'' _wonderful_ armchair. Speaking of, this is truly wonderful carpentry work.''   
 The whole time, Mark just stared at the boy in pure awe. I mean, he _did_ just call him a clumsy baby that cries when he bumps into a chair, but that was _so_ smooth. I mean, he almost couldn't tell it was a lie when he _knew_ it was a lie!  
 ,,Oh no! Do you need any ice, Mark? Or maybe a bandaid? I can't have my guests walking around injured!'' Ten threw his arms out theatrically, stomping to emphasize his words, but never really doing anything to help.  
 Mark, being the smart kid that he was, didn't even point it out and simply said it was fine, wanting to get out of the situation as quickly as humanly possible.  
 ,,That simply cannot do! Neo!'' And with that, the robot guy from before just appeared out of thin air, hands clasped behind his back and all that.  
 ,,Could you please get me an ice pack?'' he asked politely, in contrast with the shrilly tone he used when summoning the guy. Poor robot.  
 ,,It's fine, I don't need an ice pack! Really!'' Mark stumbled over his words, not exactly sure what he'd even do with the thing. He wasn't hurt, and he also wasn't sure where he'd put it? I mean, can you even put away an ice pack? Aren't you supposed to put it back in the fridge? Where was he supposed to find a fridge?  
 Luckily, he didn't have to deal with that, because Donghyuck switched right back into his rich people mode.  
 ,,You're a really attentive host, but I feel like at this point you're putting way too much stress on yourself. Mark is fine, you- _and_ Lucas should go back out there and enjoy the party you've both must've worked _so_ hard on! We'll just hang around here for a little while more and then we'll join you!'' he offered in that tone that made it sound more like an announcement.  
 After maybe like a minute of polite small talk, Donghyuck managed to push both the hosts and the creepy robot guy out of the room.  
With a deep exhale he said:,,Holy fucking shit, I really hate that guy.''  
That came s a complete surprise to Mark. I mean, sure, maybe he didn't know how the upper class conversed amongst each other but Donghyuck didn't seem necessarily annoyed by the short shiny suit-clad man. Wow, say that five times fast.  
 ,,Why?'' he asked, still trying to say short shiny suit-clad man in his brain without getting everything jumbled up.  
 ,,Don't you hear the way he talks? _I simply cannot let you walk around like that! Oh, what a lovely young couple!_ He's so pretentious! He _so_ thinks he's above us. He probably thinks we used to live off Kids Cuisine for crying out loud!'' Donghyuck huffed, stomping around the room to calm down and not burst out of the room to throw hands at Ten.  
 Mark just kinda sat there and... watched. Like nine minutes ago, he was crying and grasping onto Donghyuck for dear life. He wasn't really down to sit here and shit talk Ten, no matter how much the guy creeped him out. You just can't trust people that are _that_ short. You just can't.  
 ,,Idk, he seemed pretty nice to me,'' he shrugged, now pondering if Ten were to stab Lucas, would he go for the kneecaps or the lower abdomen?  
 ,,Did you just say _idk_ out loud?'' the tan boy sighed, clearly disappointed in all of humanity because of Mark's choice of words.  
 ,,Yuh,'' answered the ravenette, still hung up about the whole stabbing thing. Maybe Ten'd go for the thigh first, and then stab Lucas in the jugular as he was toppled over in pain? He seemed like that snake type of person, to be completely honest.  
Donghyuck just sighed again, sort of straightened out the wrinkles on his shirt and continued walking around the room, now in a slightly calmer manner.   
 ,,Shouldn't we like… go back out? Wasn't the whole reason for us coming here to, like, be seen and not be suspicious?'' Mark chimed up, not really sure where the sudden need to engage in rich people stuff came from.   
The other boy was obviously just as shocked, his eyebrows raised so high Mark couldn't see them through his bangs.  
 ,,But you just broke down. Don't you want to like chill here, in the- What _is_ this room?'' Donghyuck wondered out loud, prompting the ravenette to take a proper look at his surroundings.  
 It was a small room that might've been a little lounge if more chairs and maybe a table were there. But there weren't any. Just the armchair Mark sat in, which, by the way, was in the middle of the room.   
 ,,Maybe a…. Yeah, I got nothing,'' the ravenette admitted.  
 ,,Weird.'' What a sibylline way to say _I really don't care._ Wow, nineteen year olds are so profound.  
 They just hung out there for maybe the next five minutes, letting time tick by and the voices in the background get louder. It got really annoying after a while, so Mark decided to take matters into his own hands.  
 ,,Let's go explore! We promised Ten we wouldn't stay here, and G-d forbid he finds us here again.''  
 ,,Are you _sure?_ I mean, you didn't even finish venting about why you cried. Do you really feel like exploring a rich guy's house during a party?'' Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, not exactly convinced by Mark's sudden enthusiasm.  
 ,,Yeah, dude. Besides, the best place to deal with things like that is the safety and comfort of one's home, not an overcrowded party at a mansion full of people I've never seen before,''  Mark lectured him, slowly getting up from the plush armchair.  
 ,,Hmm, I guess you're right. Also, the plot really needs to get moving. I mean, imagine if this was, like, a book or something. No one would want to read about two dudes sitting in a mostly empty room and talking about how weird the room was,''  Donghyuck agreed as he slowly opened the door and tried to slither out of the room as quietly as possible, so that no one would stop and think _hmm why were those two guys in that room that no one goes into because it's empty and seemingly useless?  
_  ,,Good point,'' Mark nodded and followed behind him, holding onto the boy's sleeve to prevent getting lost in the sea of strangers that decided it'd be a great idea to hang out by the one closed door on the whole first floor.  
After they explored what seemed like two hundred million square feet of the first floor, Mark has decided that rich people houses were fucking boring. They saw four different lounge rooms with glass top tables, but not a _single_ tacky pillow with fringe on the edges. This was a level of classiness that no one could ever enjoy!  
 ,,We should go investigate upstairs,'' Donghyuck practically yelled into Mark's ear, since the music and the rowdy heaven-dwellers made too much noise for him to be able to sneakily whisper anything to him.  
 Mark nodded, though, and looked around in search of a staircase. No matter how dull this house seemed to be, exploring it was pretty fun, especially with the ginger by his side, who seemed to know a lot about the rich and made their little mission even more enjoyable.  
He was like a little bourgeois psychic, judging what the hosts were like based on their decor.  
 ,,Have you noticed how none of the furniture has round edges? No sharp edges are an awful choice, and the only way to justify it, are either kids or a big dog.'' Donghyuck held his chin as he intensely stared at a mahogany cabinet, his eyes scanning the surface for any visible scratches. Flawless. These guys have definitely never touched it.  
 ,,Hmm, I see where you're coming from, detective. And look, their outlets even have that little thing in them, that stops dumbasses from getting electrocuted,'' Mark pointed at the sockets next to the cabinet, which indeed had a plastic cover on it.  
 ,,Wow, these guys are _really_ prepared. My money's on a kid.''  
 ,,I bet it's the dog.''  
 ,,Loser has to order ice cream?''  
 ,,How is that a punishment?''  
 ,,Social anxiety.''  
 ,,That's brutal. I'm in.''  
They both giggled as they ascended up a narrow staircase, which Donghyuck said was for the housekeepers.  
 ,,How do you even know so much about things like this?'' Mark asked while opening a door at the top of the stairs.   
 ,,I used to be around rich people a lot,'' the tanner boy shrugged, taking a look at the room they just discovered. ,,Maids' quarters,'' he said immediately after entering.  
 ,,Made squatters?'' the ravenette stared at him, confused. He felt dumb right after he said that since he quickly realized how stupid that sounded.  
,,Maids' quarters. It's where the housekeepers live. This is _really_ nice though. Look, there's even a balcony!'' Donghyuck said, in pure awe at the luxury of the room.   
 Mark had to admit, it _was_ a really nice place. Lots of natural light (which was a term he also learned from Donghyuck) and it wasn't cramped at all. It was kind of like a regular apartment. Thinking about that made him remember how unnecessarily big his house was, and how much more comfortable he'd feel living in a place like this.  
He wanted to whine about it to Donghyuck, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Mark noticed him on the balcony before he could start panicking, so all was well.   
When he joined him, Mark immediately shuddered. He might've been wearing a hoodie, but not even that could've protected him from the cool night air.  
,,'Sup,'' Donghyuck said, not looking away from the sky, which prompted the ravenette to take a peek too.   
As soon as he looked, he knew he wouldn't be able to tear his gaze from it for a long time. What he saw was around, and he was really trying to get the number right, five thousand three hundred and four billion constellations, almost not leaving a blank spot in the darkness.  
 ,,It looks mesmerizing,'' he breathed out, getting a little overwhelmed by just how many glimmering stars adorned the heaven above him.  
 ,,It looks like the inside of an arts and crafts kit,'' commented Donghyuck, earning a snicker from the other boy.   
As much as Mark wanted to look at the shimmering diamonds above him, it was a little bit much for his eyes to handle, so he had to close his eyes for a second and ideally walk back inside. But that'd be rude, so he just stared at the ground instead, trying really hard to not fall over form how dizzy he was.   
,,You're weak,'' Donghyuck laughed when he noticed the ravenette looked away.  
Mark just rolled his eyes at that, and now started wondering why the floor of the balcony was so clean. Did no one ever go here? He found that hard to believe since this __was a balcony. He also noticed some pots which all had various green herbs in them, which was weird, considering how pristine the floor around them was.   
 ,,Do you think anyone lives here?'' he asked out of the blue.  
 ,,Definitely not. Why would they have a maid here? The mess cleans itself up,'' Donghyuck answered, not exactly engaged in the conversation.  
 ,,But there's plants growing in the pots,'' Mark argued.  
 ,,That's probably just to make it seem more welcoming. I have some basil happily growing on my window sill, and there's always a mug full of hot tea on the kitchen counter at my place. I think it's just so that we don't feel lonely here.'' The ginger's voice sounded a little sad when he said that, making the other's ears perk up.  
 ,,You think so?''  
 ,,Yeah, I guess. I don't know, it's just my theory. I always thought it'd be nice to, like, have someone that'd do little things like water house plants and make tea, you know? They're little ways to let someone know you have their back.''  
 ,,Why do you sound so sad, Donghyuck?'' Mark was now looking at the boy, brows furrowed with worry. He didn't have any experience dealing with people at the verge of tears, or at least he didn't remember having it, so this was definitely a challenging situation.  
 ,,I don't know,'' he shrugged again, still staring at the sky. At this point, Mark couldn't really tell if the gleam in his eyes was the reflection of the stars or tears, which sounded poetic, but was really fucking sad in reality. This boy has been nothing but kind to him from the moment they've met, and now he was about to cry in front of him.  
 ,,W-well, you won't be lonely now. We might not be soulmates, but I'd like to be your friend. And if making tea and watering plants are the only requirements, I'll be great at it,'' Mark offered, a beaming smile adorning his cheeks. He was determined to make the boy's after-life as ideal as possible, and not just because he felt guilty about robbing him of the whole soulmate experience, but mostly because of how friendly and warm he was. He didn't deserve to feel loneliness in any way, shape or form.  
 ,,That sounds fun,'' Donghyuck laughed quietly, wiping away the few stray tears that rolled down his cheeks. Side note, but now that his face was all dewy from the tears, he was even glowier than before, which Mark thought would be impossible.  
 ,,So,'' the ravenette said dramatically, ''do you want to be friends, Donghyuck?''  
The ginger boy's cheeks were flushed a peachy color, his smile shining so bright the stars were jealous. ,,Yes. I'd like that.''  
 ,,Great! It's official! We're platonic soulmates now!'' Mark giggled, very proud of the fact that he didn't start crying when he saw the other's tears. Takes a real strong man to be able to pull that off.  
They just sat under the bright night sky for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence, until they heard two familiar voices arguing in the garden below them.  
  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls follow me on twitter


	5. stained silk and slime!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to the one person that enjoys reading this: sorry it took so long!  
> i was uhhh spending a lot of time sleeping and crawling out of a depressive episode, but im back on my feet and writing again! aint that exciting.  
> so yeah, have this very mediocre chapter before i bust out something real fun.  
> follow me on twt @/heavenlyhyo  
> xoxo

As soon as they heard the voices, Donghyuck and Mark instinctively ducked, clumsily hiding their forms behind small pots. From what they could see up here… Were those two Ten and Lucas?   
 The boys' breathing stopped and their hearing sharpened, trying to catch as much as possible from the hushed conversation. I mean, eavesdropping on Ten and Lucas? Shit's gonna be spicy.  
,,...I swear to _God,_ if you wander off like that again, I'm telling on you! I've- _We've_ been planning this thing for _so_ long. _Too_ long, for you to just waltz around like nobody's business! And what was that with _those_ two? That was the weirdest shit I've ever seen! What kinda person just does… whatever that was?! Seriously, I-” but Ten's voice was cut off by a much deeper one, which they haven't heard before.  
 ,,Geez, calm down, Ten. I needed to hide somewhere, everyone was asking me weird questions and I got nervous! _Also,_ you're the one that just dramatically stormed off while grasping my wrist like a caveman, so-”  
 ,,Oh shut _up._ I had to do _something_! You were flailing around like a-- you know, those big blow up guys with the long arms? That stand next to car sales? Well, _those!_ And you were bringing so much attention to yourself! You're _so_ unprofessional,” Ten hissed, staring up at Lucas. If the boys could see his eyes, they'd either be filled with either disgust or gay rage. One of the two.   
 ,, _Chittaphon,''_ groaned the taller man, rubbing his temples. Or something. Mark couldn't tell in the dark, especially not when one side of his face was pressed against a flower pot and the other against Donghyuck's shoulder (?).  
,,What the fuck is a _chit chat bone_ ,'' whispered Hyuck, making Mark forget all about their borderline spy mission and have the audacity to _chuckle_.  
Fuck.  
But the arguing couple didn't really pay any attention to them, thank fuck, because they were busy having a staring contest. How romantic.  
 ,,You colossal dumbass,'' Donghyuck hissed, the other boy losing his shit once again and _snickering._ __  
The two, however, continued to just stand there, neither of them moving even slightly. You could hear a pin drop, that's how silent and awkward it was. And the boys had to witness all of this while being quiet as two mice. Well, if mice were 5'9 and had to hide on a balcony behind some basil while the hosts of the party they were trying to avoid were arguing right beneath them   
,,Let's dip before they make out.'' This time Mark was the one to work up the balls to say anything. Donghyuck nodded, probably, and they both started getting up to leave.  
 But it wouldn't be Markhyuck (Mark decided that he'd refer to him and Donghyuck as Markhyuck, so that he wouldn't have to say _him and Donghyuck_ all the time) if they didn't fuck something up, right?  
 As they both got up to leave, they forgot how fucking _tiny_ the balcony was in the first place, so they proceeded to knock over the biggest pot. And of _course_ it made the loudest noise anyone's ever heard.   
 And in that moment, it was even quieter than before. The boys' blood ran cold in their veins, neither of them _daring_ to move. But when they saw Lucas and his short angry goblin boyfriend turn their heads, they soniced out of there.  
They weren't sure if they even opened any doors on their way back, but, considering how fucking terrified they were, they probably ran _through_ the doors. But they really couldn't care less, because their faces were pale with fear and their hands were still shaking.  
 ,,Holy _fuck,_ dude!'' Mark muttered when they finally ran to a safe spot by the punch bowl.  
 ,,You could say that twice,'' Hyuck nodded while basically inhaling any beverage in sight. The stress was probably getting to him, Mark thought.  
They just kinda stood there for a while, trying to get their breathing and heartbeat to calm down. No matter how kind they were trying to come across as, Ten and Lucas were fucking _creepy._ Like, they're whole height thing? Fucking scary. And the fact that the only things they've ever heard Lucas say were ''chit chat bone'' and complaining about Ten's behaviour _definitely_ didn't help. Brr.  
 ,,Aw, shit.'' Donghyuck whined, furiously rubbing a spot on the front of his shirt with a napkin. Mark, being the genius he was, decided to ask him the following.  
 ,,Why are you scratching your shirt?''  
But instead of answering, the questionee just took a deep breath, and poured his punch all over his shirt, which made Mark go ????. Was that supposed to calm the itching?   
 ,,What.'' The ravenette was getting more and more confused. Maybe it was the adrenaline still rushing through his veins, but he's never felt dumber. Or maybe his not-soulmate just did confusing things from time to time. It was either that, or he's just stupid.  
 ,,Some dirt got on my shirt and that'd be a dead giveaway that we were the ones spying. I'm getting rid of the evidence. _Duh_ ,'' Donghyuck rolled his eyes at Mark's silly questions and then proceeded to look at the big red stain on his white shirt, grief pooling in his eyes. Rip Hyuck's white poofy prince shirt 2018-2018. You'll be missed dearly.  
 ,, _Oh.''_ __  
_,,_ Yeah, _oh._ Here, have some punch and act natural,'' said Punch Stain, handing the taller boy a cup filled with some sickly sweet-smelling red liquid. Ew.  
 ,,I'm not gonna drink… _that._ Why is it, like, thick?! No drink should be the consistency of pudding!'' Mark complained, his nose scrunched in disgust. The punch reminded him of a tumblr meme that he didn't like remembering. He also didn't like the fact that the only thing he remembered, was something about a tumblr meme he didn't like. Not exactly a helpful memory.  
 ,,Milkshakes are thicc,'' Donghyuck shrugged, downing another cup of the weird party goo. Gross.  
 ,,Milkshakes don't smell like sangría someone forgot about for a week,'' argued Mark, absolutely refusing to get that thing anywhere near his mouth.   
 ,,Pussy.'' And with that, the ginger took the glass back from him and absorbed all of it in one gulp. Which was admirable, since the liquid (if it could even be called that) would probably have to be cut into small pieces for anyone to be able to swallow it.  
 ,,That's kinda hot,'' the ravenette admitted, admiring Donghyuck's hidden talent with wide eyes.  
 ,,I know.''  
 ,,Okay, that's also hot.''  
 ,,Shut _up.''_  Aaaand, all is well again, because at this point, both of them were giggling.  
 They just kinda hung out by the table with food, taking a bite out of everything and then setting it down if it wasn't good. Which Mark thought was rude, which the shorter boy pat him on the back for. ,,See, you're already gathering good people points. I don't have to, so I'll eat half this flan and then I won't finish it, just to spite the system _and_ mock you at the same time.''  
,,You're gonna get to hell before me if you do that,'' Mark said, genuinely worried for the other boy, who was probably kind of tipsy from… whatever the punch was made of.  
 ,,Whatever. Fuck rich people and their parties.'' Comrade Lee Donghyuck, 2018.  
 ,,Suit yourself, dude.'' The ravenette just watched him, grateful for the new source of amusement he had. What he's learned from this evening is that rich people parties are _very_ boring, if you forget the whole spying incident.  
 ,,I think there's something in this punch that a minor shouldn't be ingesting.'' Donghyuck said this with an almost chilling calmness in his voice, as he took another huge and obscenely loud gulp of the disgusting sludge. Which was also ultimately the straw that broke the camel's back.  
 ,,Oookay, that's enough,'' Mark said while trying to snatch the cup from the dizzy ginger, who was holding onto it for dear life.  
 ,,Oh, thank god,'' Donghyuck sighed in relief, wiping his mouth from any remains of the disgusting mucus. ,,It was gross, I was just waiting for you to stop me because I couldn't on my own. Very addicting.''  
 ,,Well, I'm glad I stopped you. You looked like you were going insane.''  
 ,,Tbh, I only started drinking it so that you'd realize I'm a minor getting turnt with mysterious slime, and so that you'd stop me eventually. We gotta get you on the good person grind,'' the ginger explained, now staring at his sad stained shirt again.  
 ,, _Oh._ You really didn't have to do all this, though? Like, I would've, you know, held the door for somebody. Pretty sure the fact that I stop someone from purposely giving themselves alcohol poisoning, to help me be a better person, isn't exactly something that's gonna get me high up on the leader-board.'' Donghyuck was confusing Mark the whole evening, to be quite clear. But _this_ he really couldn't understand.   
 ,,See! And now you're concerned about me! You're a natural at being good!'' the shorter boy giggled gaily, ''and as I say that, maybe drinking all that wasn't a good idea.''  
 ,,You okay there?'' Mark chuckled, comfortingly patting Donghyuck on the back. The boy was currently leaning on the table, his face going a lovely shade of vomit green. Maybe that thicc sangría really wasn't safe to drink.  
 ,,Peachy,'' he groaned in pain. ,,Man, I don't deserve this.It left behind a horrifying aftertaste.''  
 Mark just laughed again, taking a look around, just cause he felt like it. But thank german Jesus he did that because Ten and Lucas were taking a stroll around the room, talking to literally everyone it seemed.  
 ,,Dude, they're onto us,'' he whispered to the almost-puking teenager, who looked as if life was flashing before his eyes. Mark wasn't sure if it was because of the punch or the nearing weirdos. He hoped it was because of them because he really didn't want to be dealing with a dying kid at the moment. But that _would_ be funny, considering they're dead and all.  
 With a painful whine, Hyuck straightened his posture and wiped the front of his shirt again, as if hoping the stain would go away if he did that enough times.  
 ,,Thank god, this was getting boring.''  
 ,,Yeah, if this were a book, I wouldn't wanna read it,'' Mark agreed. They needed to start having an interesting conversation, otherwise, the two stormtroopers would feel the need to come over to them and chat. Which was, quite frankly, terrifying.  
 ,,Yeah, so, like, my mom would _totally_ murder me for ruining a shirt like this,'' Donghyuck murmured, still sulky about the ruined silk. Mark just patted him on the back again, this time in a bro way. You know, when straight guys squeeze someone's shoulder real tight and then, like, punch it? That.  
 ,,Mine would too,'' he sympathized with the boy, not really thinking twice about the statement. But Donghyuck did. Oh, he _so_ did.  
 ,,You remember something about your mom? That's huge news! That means there's ways we can make you remember.'' The tan boy seemed very excited by all of this, but Mark was just kinda confused. Why was Donghyuck acting as if he was onto something, when-  
 ,, _Oh.''_ Mark was never the brightest, you've got to excuse him.  
 ,,Yeah, _oh._ This is so exciting, oh my god, it's like a scifi novel!'' said the other again, bouncing on his feet, his eyes bright and his smile wide.   
Maybe he was just tired or really emotionally numb, but Mark didn't see what was so exciting about it. Great. He'd now know for sure that he doesn't belong in eternal paradise and he'll be sad because now he'll remember his loved ones that he won't get to see again.  
Great.  
 ,,I'd tell you to lighten up and drink this thin jello, but Ten is walking over to us, so you better act all happy _without_ getting tipsy,'' Donghyuck said through clenched teeth, sporting a five star fake smile while his hands were still trying to somehow cover up the stain on his stomach.  
 ,,Okay.'' There goes the numbness again. For no reason at all, Mark was starting to feel really out of it. Which was strange, since until now, he was having a pretty good time, sneaking around a rich couples' house and knocking over their pots.  
But now, out of the blue, this weird damp feeling took over him, making it impossible to respond to Donghyuck's snappy remarks.  
So he just stood there, fiddling with his thumbs and desperately trying to not look like he was feeling down.  
After a few attempts to initiate small talk from Donghyuck's side, Ten and his seventeen feet tall boyfriend made their way to the two, bringing their inevitable doom along.  
 ,,Hi! Are you guys enjoying yourselves?'' Ten batted his eyelashes, his pearly white smile beaming like a beacon.   
 ,,Oh, absolutely! Do you think you could give me the recipe for this _delicious_ punch? Mark here seemed to really enjoy it,'' the tanner boy smirked in his not-soulmate's direction, receiving only a blank stare and a nod in return.  
 ,,Sorry, but I think I'll have to keep it to myself. A family secret, wink wink.'' The host giggled with every word, clinging onto his taller significant other's upper arm. Mark chuckled at the image, without realizing that he and Donghyuck currently looked exactly the same. But let's not worsen his mood again.   
 ,,Oh, right! Mark, sweetie, I was thinking, since Taeyong gushes about you so much, do you think you could maybe have a short speech? You know, since you're so young and accomplished, it'd be _such_ a cute inspirational gig!''  
That went from zero to a hundred real quick.  
Mark didn't even have time to process what was being said to him before he automatically nodded and tried to smile.   
 Bad choice.  
  ,,Wonderful! Okay, so, in, like, five minutes, walk over there to the ice statue and I'll be there to tell you when to begin, is that alright with you?'' The host's words sounded more like a statement than a question, but Mark still nodded along, trying to put together the meaning of what Ten was telling him.  
Meanwhile, Donghyuck just stood there, his cheeks cramping up from the smile he was forcing himself to hold, staring at Mark in disbelief.   
 Ten and Lucas floated away after a while of hurling white noise at Mark, letting him exhale a deep breath he didn't know he was holding.  
 ,,Dude, do you realize you just fucked yourself over?'' Donghyuck asked, intrigue clear in his voice.  
 ,,I'm having a spleen and I disassociated a little bit, but I'm piecing it together, you know, bit by bit,'' Mark uttered, more confused than blue now. Wow, that was a fleeting phase.  
 ,,Okay then, take your time. But, uh, you just kinda sorta promised Ten and Eiffel that you'd have a speech, and I don't think that's gonna be a lot of fun, considering you're all drowsy,'' the other boy said, making Mark roll his eyes so hard that his mom would probably scold him about them getting stuck.  
_Oh._ __  
He needed to sit down. He couldn't stand there by the food table any longer if he didn't want to fall over and land on it, getting an assful of jello and pudding. Which, no matter how humorous it sounded, he didn't really want right now. He didn't know what he was feeling right now, but he definitely didn't want it to continue.   
He realized how minor and insignificant all the things he was going crazy about were, he truly did, but his body seemed to not care and proceeded to slowly shut down, leaving only a tingling feeling at the tips of his fingers.  
 ,,Do you want to go sit down?'' Donghyuck's voice once again stopped him from spiraling away once again, and Mark made a mental note of how he needed to learn how to do that for people.   
 ,,Yeah,'' he nodded, grabbing onto the boy's elbow in a weak attempt to not fall face first into a plate of strawberry shortcakes. It was a success though, so maybe it wasn't a _weak_ attempt.  
 ,,Okerino, let's just, uh, find a couch or something that doesn't have people making out on it,'' Donghyuck muttered, more to himself than to Mark, looking around for an unoccupied place to sit with the ragdoll of a boy.   
Meanwhile, the ravennette was unable to understand why this was happening. He remembered _two_ things, yet his entire being decided it was far too much for him, so it just. Stopped. Not gonna lie, Mark had a lot of respect for his body's self-preservation instinct, but he did find it a _tiny_ bit inconvenient.   
Before he realized that he even started moving, his not-soulmate was already making him sit down on a loveseat in the hallway, the music, and loud chatter abruptly muffling after he shut the door behind them.  
 ,,Okay, so, what's wrong?'' Donghyuck asked, sitting next to him.   
 ,,Uh, I think I, uh, remembered something, uh, about my mom? I think. And I'm not handling, uh, it well,'' Mark admitted while playing with the hem of his hoodie absent-mindedly. This evening was getting a little bit overwhelming.  
 ,, _Oh._ Well, that's no good. Do you want to talk about it?'' the silk-clad boy put his hand on Mark's shoulder comfortingly, in an attempt to ground him, and also just because he seemed to be pretty affectionate anyway. To be honest, Mark found that kinda weird, but no he couldn't be more grateful.  
 ,,It, uh, wasn't anything spectacular, I just, uh, I don't know. I remembered that she'd like, uh, scold me, if she saw me ruin a white shirt, and that'd she, uh, tell me to not roll my eyes, you know?'' The ravennette was struggling with finding proper words, getting dizzier and dizzier with every syllable. This wasn't good.  
 ,,That's still pretty cool. I mean, you didn't remember anything when you woke up, right? So now you at least know that your mom was a pretty good mom!'' giggled Donghyuck, continuing to squeeze Mark's shoulder.   
 ,,Yeah, I guess so,''  the boy nodded, thinking over his not-soulmate's words.   
It was great that he was remembering, but why was it doing __this to him?  
 He wouldn't get to find out, because just as he thought that, the door flew open, revealing a much-too-familiar twinky figure.   
 ,,Oh, Mark! There you are! Can you come do the speech now?''

  
  



	6. i've lost count of how many times mark's disassociated so far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> waddup   
> seasonal mania be hittin different when its spring. also ive been obssessed with this one tiktoker and stalking her has become my favorite past time so im sure all you 3 people that read this understand.  
> sorry for the delay  
> but at least its finally gettin mildly spicy, am i right?  
> follow me on twt @/hyuckiepop
> 
> (ps. i rlly dont know why the formatting is so fucked and ive been trying to fix it for like.... an hour. so pls dont be mad, 3 people)

  Mark has never before felt such an intense stabbing pain in his head upon hearing someone's voice. Ten really was one of a kind.  
,,I was thinking, since it's getting late, you know, that it'd be better if you did it now, instead of having to wait until the end. How does that sound?''  
_Fucking awful._ __  
,,Sounds smart. I guess I could do it now.'' Mark, no, what the fuck are you saying.  
,,Awesome! So, by the ice statue, there's a little podium, so you can stand there and talk,'' Ten explained, gesturing to almost every word he said. Must be a gay thing.  
Donghyuck just stood there, watching the two talk is if they were a slowed down video of a car crash. Horrified, but unable to look away. 

After giving instructions to a  _ very  _ tired and irritated Mark, Ten left the room, leaving the two boys to panic in peace.    
,,I'm gonna faint,'' was the only thing Mark could muster up to say, falling right back on the sofa, where Donghyuck was waiting to catch his limp body.   
,,No, you're not.'' The shorter boy carefully helped him sit down on another stupidly expensive couch that probably wasn't even meant to be sat on.

Mark was fucking  _ exhausted.  _ His head was spinning, he was hungry and now he also wanted to stomp Ten to death. Which wouldn't be that hard, considering the man's height and overall body mass.    
,,Dude, you there?'' Donghyuck waved his hand in front of Mark's face. The ravenette nodded, fascinated by it. How did he wear three rings without looking like a Vítkovický rapper? Science still couldn't answer that.   
They sat there for a little longer, both of them wondering what to do next. They couldn't flee the party, cause that'd be suspicious. Mark couldn't ditch the speech, because Ten would stalk him down and murder him in cold blood, most definitely. And Donghyuck couldn't leave the nauseous boy alone, because that'd be just plain ole' disgusting.

They ended up getting up, however, and Markhyuck bravely made their way towards the podium. Or, towards the ice statue, because they couldn't see a podium. Fucking shorties.    
,,There you are! You guys keep slipping away from me the whole evening, you little rascals!'' Mark couldn't even remember how many times Ten's voice has given him a headache, but he could  _ guarantee  _ it was well over ten times.

He still managed to muscle through his migraine and give him a polite smile. ,,We were just looking for the podium. This is, uh, great wood you've got there,''he attempted the decor compliments he's seen Donghyuck drop here and there, but he just couldn't do it as well as the tan boy could.   
Ten looked him up and down, but still managed to flash a million dollar smile. ,,Thank you! It's oak. Really nice and sturdy, heels don't leave marks on it! A very good investment if you're planning a dance career.'' The host said that in  _ such _ a nonchalant tone, as if devoting your life to dance and investing in oak podiums was a thing everyone did.

Donghyuck came through like the fucking legend he was, catching onto that thread and not letting it go. ,,Oh, do you dance, Ten? I bet you're simply  _ amazing.  _ I mean, the grace with which you carry yourself? That must say  _ something  _ about your dancing abilities.''   
Mark has never admired someone as much as he admired his not-soulmate in this very moment.   
But this isn't about Mark's admiration for Donghyuck! This was about bullshitting his way through a speech at a party he didn't want to be at!

He decided to stop mentally bitching, but his throbbing headache pushed him back into his lane pretty quickly. So he attempted to collect his thoughts and used the few free seconds, that his not-soulmate has stolen for him, to come up with something that could classify as anything even close to a speech.

But Mark, contrary to popular belief, didn't have a galaxy brain, so those couple moments didn't really help him in any way, except maybe in making him more nervous.   
He didn't notice he has ran out of time until he saw Ten lift up a champagne glass and gently strike it with a tiny silver spoon. His initiate thought wasn't  _ hm wow guess I'm fucked  _ but rather  _ wow i thought people only did that in movies,  _ but cut him some slack. He was an angsty amnesiac teen that was basically bullied into speaking by an adult half his size.    
,,Attention, everyone! Mark here would like to say a few words. But before that, please, a round of applause for Na Jaemin, a teenage actor and philanthropist that sacrificed everything for children all over the world!''   
Mark didn't know how and why, but thunderous applause took over the room, saving him from the speech (?). This was too much. Way too much. Why did he have to stand here when some other guy came to speak? This felt unnecessary and awkward.    
What was going in?    
Why did everything feel so staged? Why did this feel like Ten was out to get him?

He wouldn't get to find out, because another wave of cheers roared loudly, momentarily saving him from his dazed and confused state. That didn't last for long, because this seemingly useless and nonsensical scene was still very much in motion, the eyes of dozens of people stabbing through him like rusty needles.   
His eyes frantically searched for Donghyuck, the only person he knew he could rely on and also the only person that probably wouldn't laugh at him? Mark wasn't sure about that one, though.   
But instead of seeking refuge in the ginger's familiar eyes, his gaze caught a pair of equally warm and hopeful ones.

Taeyong was standing a few meters away from him, his face almost overwhelmingly positive and excited.   
Upon seeing that, each and every drop of anxiety in his bloodstream has left the chat, because as any mom friend will tell you, the urge to make someone else happy is exactly the dopamine kick you needed to do basic tasks for a limited amount of time.

Mark wasn't even sure how he started his whole speech, but he  _ did  _ know that it made a lot of people laugh, even though it sometimes sounded a  _ little _ bit forced. 

At one point he said a really lame pun, so he was pretty much peachy again. 

 He was just about to say a dad joke, but sadly, a little goblin in a velvet blazer decided he said enough. 

,,Thank you  _ so   _ much, Mark, that was truly delightful! I had no idea elephants and humans were so similar!'' The host laughed, holding a champagne glass tightly, definitely not in a way that a champagne glass should be held, but Mark decided to let it go, because, what did  _ he  _ know about champagne glasses? Not a lot, that was for sure.   
,,I would like to once again thank Taeyong, for creating an afterlife that  _ truly  _ feels like home.  _ Salud!'' _ __   
No one in the room seemed to know why exactly Ten just said something in french, but no one cared, either, so everyone just grabbed a conveniently placed glass of alcohol and got fucking turnt.   
Except for the few unfortunate teenagers, they died at an age too tender to participate in the adults' drunk antics.

Mark started to search for Donghyuck once again, ready to skrrt outta this place at the first given opportunity. But this wouldn't be shitty Heaven if someone didn't try to stop him, now, would it?   
A soft hand placed itself on Mark's shoulder, scaring the daylights out of him.    
The ravenette turned around, grinding his teeth in frustration, but forcing a bright smile when he saw the owner of the hand that was currently resting atop his arm.

,,Hi! I just wanted to say, your speech was so inspiring! Taeyong told me a lot about you, and I just wanted to say that it's everyday heroes like you that made life so much brighter!''

Jesus fucking Christ.    
Mark had just been complimented out of the blue by Mother Theresa's descendant, Na Jaemin, for something he didn't even do. Add that to the list of things he'll be having nightmares about tonight.

,,Hehe, it's really no big deal! I didn't even do anything spectacular, I just, kinda did- uh, what i had to do, ya know?'' His nervous giggles were hurting his throat, his mouth uncomfortably dry. He just wanted to go home. He wanted a home to go back to. All he had was that fucking dolphin-ridden house that felt cold and uninviting. And now he had to talk to this fucker with a Nobel peace prize about all the good things he never did.

Mark's thoughts were all over the place. His mind was jumping from some wild thoughts about sleeping for 11 hours, to spilling kool aid all over this pretentious idiot with a smile that was  _ way  _ too bright be real. (Seriously though, the guy had like a  _ million  _ teeth. Freaky)

If anyone out there was keeping track of his thoughts, they would  _ not  _ be having a great time right now.

,,That's still amazing, though! You didn't have rich parents to send you abroad, you couldn't take a break from school, yet you still managed to do good!'' Jaemin kept gushing about og Mark's achievements, which real Mark really didn't enjoy. Guilt was washing over him, and his eyes were still frantically searching for Donghyuck, but to no avail.

,,...-So, I was wondering if maybe I could introduce you to my soulmates- Soulmate, I mean. Would that be okay with you?'' Mark didn't listen to anything the bright-eyed boy had said before, but he nodded automatically, too charmed by his (very) toothy smile, and also, way too out of it to  _ not  _ nod. 

,,I'd love to! What's their name?'' he asked, now a little bit less dazed and back in character. Or, at least what he  _ thought  _ OG Mark would've been like.

,,Uh, it's, uh-'' Jaemin suttered, which would confuse Mark, if he still wasn't disassociating.

But, meh, they've only known their soulmates for a day, so he might as well cut the guy some slack.

But a heavenly force of some kind saved the young socialite, making a black haired guy and some other dude, with a confusing hair color, appear in front of him. 

,,Hello! Great speech! Huge fan! I'm Jeno, by the way!'' hurled, supposedly, Mark didn't fucking know, Jeno. The protagonist looked him up and down discreetly. Hm. Nice. Black hair, big eyes, nice smile. Cool dude.

,,Oh, and this lil' guy is Renjun!'' Jeno pushed the confusing-hair-color-guy in front of him. Renjun didn't seem to appreciate it much, though, and just mumbled something along the lines of ''don't call me little, you fucking prick'' but Mark could've totally misheard that. 

Anyway, fundamental guy description: Renjun was, like, a little shorter than Jaemin and Jeno, just enough to get bullied for it. Oh, and he had a similar hair  color to Donghyuck's? Mark had no idea what to call it, to be honest. His well of creativity ran dry when he called the boy's hair ginger. There was nothing left for the Renjun dude.

,,Oh, uh, hi! Thank you for enjoying my speech, haha. But Jaemin here was so much better! Really, I loved it!'' Mark smiled at the brunette, willing to give up his arm and leg, just to drive these guys' attention away from himself.

,,Oh, nonsense! Yours was better by  _ far.  _ But if you insist, which part was your favorite?'' the bright-eyed boy (=Jaemin) tilted his head to the side, sort of resembling a puppy.

But no matter how puppy-like he seemed, it wouldn't get rid of the feeling of freezing water being poured down Mark's back.

He just realized he wasn't listening. To anything. At all. He didn't listen to the speech.

,,I- Uh, I liked, all of it? There were, uh, no parts I wouldn't like, haha!''

The boy, obviously, was having none of that. ,,You weren't listening, were you?''

_ Busted _

,,N-no! I totally was! I swear! I just, I- uh- I really liked everything!'' Hell. Mark was in literal hell.

,,Jaemin, dude, I think he's lying,'' Jeno added, pouring like a gallon of gasoline in the fire of Mark's guilt. Thanks a lot, Jeno.

,,Yeah, he was totally disrespectful and all that,'' nodded Renjun, a malicious glint in his eyes.

The boys probably meant it as a joke, but Mark's chest started feeling impossibly tight. He's been so stressed out the entire evening, and now he had to entertain three strangers, on top of feeling like he's going to pass out any second. 

_ Where's Donghyuck?,  _ he thought, desperate for any sort of help. The boy had a gift when it came to sweet-talking, and Mark could really use some of that right now. It would probably get rid of the black spots dancing in front of his eyes, too!

,,Guys, let him be.''

Some of the weight lifted off the protagonist's chest upon hearing that, those words sounding melodious to his ears.

The two boys, surprisingly, listened to Jaemin, their teasing coming to an abrupt end. ,,But, dude, it's totally fine,'' he continued. ,,I was kinda talking about everything and nothing, you know? Ten is  _ really  _ tiny. Perfect height for stabbing people in the abdomen. I wasn't willing to risk anything.''

_ Huh. _

,,Why do you suddenly talk like that?'' Mark thought out loud, very confused by the boy's sudden change in behaviour. He seemed so… proper and Ten-like. And now, he was suddenly human?   
Mark really needed to sit down.

,,Like what?''   
,,Like, normal.''

,,Oh. Uh, I dunno. We're the same age? And, also, aside from you, and my soulmates- see, there's no one our age. So, I figured I could, uh, stop talking like an adult. I don't know, maybe i shouldn't've. I'm sorry, do I make you uncomfortable?'' Jaemin's horrified expression both calmed Mark and stressed him out at the same time. Exactly what he needed. Great.

 ,,No! It's fine! It's great! I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you feel weird about it!'' he assured him, speaking at the speed of light. Huh. Maybe he should try rap.

,,See, Jaem? We fucking told you.'' Renjun rolled his eyes at the situation, earning a chuckle from Jeno.   
,,Dude, where's your soulmate?'' the  _ other  _ black-haired boy- Wow, this is bound to get confusing. Uhm. Uh. I guess, the? Jeno? Sigh,  _ Jeno  _ asked, looking around the room for another spunky teen.    
,,Oh, uh, I don't know, actually,'' admitted Mark, still hung up about how to refer to Jeno in his head without confusing him for himself.

,,That's savage,'' said Renjun. ,,But also kind of neglectful. Shouldn't you, like, look for them? These two worry when I go to the kitchen without telling them, nevermind-''

,,Hey, Injun, have this!'' blurted out Jaemin, thrusting a drink into Renjun's empty hand, cutting him off.  
_Huh._

But he moved on, the boy  _ did  _ seem thirsty.

,,I, uh probably should? But, eh, he'll probably find me on his own. I also have no idea where he could be in this house, so...'' Mark trailed off, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. Wow, was he a bad not-soulmate? 

Ugh. He bet these guys were better soulmates. 

Wait.

,,So, who's with who?'' he asked the trio.  
_And suddenly, the room went quiet._

Not literally, of course. But like, none of our four boiz were talking.   
,,Uh, well, you see-''   
,, _ Mark!'' _

Jesus, Saint Maria and the Father above, is that you I hear?

Mark's question was left forgotten the second he heard Donghyuck's voice, relief washing over him.   
,,Donghyuck! Hi!'' Mark was so happy he could hug the ginger. Which he did, but in a short, bro way. That seemed to confuse Donghyuck, but he wasn't complaining, so, like, win win. Whatever, Mark didn't have time to to dwell on the proper length of a hug.

,,Hello! Will you introduce me to your company?'' the ginger said in his rich-people-pleasing voice, batting his eyelashes professionally. 

,,Can't you do that yourse- Ow!'' Mark frowned at him after receiving a poke in the ribs. ,,Jeno, Jaemin, Renjun, this is Donghyuck.''

The four boys exchanged ''hi''s and ''nice to meet you''s, leaving the ravenette standing awkwardly next to them, just… watching. Wow.

Jesus Christ, and just when he thought he couldn't get more tired.

This whole introduction felt  _ forced  _ and  _ official.  _ Mark might've not remembered much about himself, but he knew that this is not how you should meet people of the same age??

This was suffocating. He's broken down so many times in such a short period of time, he had no one to lean on, didn't even know who he was. 

All he had in this stupid fucking universe was a boy that he's dragged down with him, the weight of his issues making Donghyuck's utopian afterlife nothing but a wild dream. 

He hated this. He hated how the four people were engaging in a conversation that he could never be worthy of, their educated words cutting through Mark's patience like knives. He felt so insignificant in comparison, so  _ small.  _

All he could do was stand there and watch them bond and share experiences, showing off their goodness as if it were a medal. Mark was staring at them with jealousy pooling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to snatch it away from them. He didn't want to be the only one left out. 

But why did this feel so familiar? Why did his body feel so accustomed to wanting what others had but not being able to have it?

Mark was spiraling so fast and so uncontrollably, he didn't even notice the boys turning to look at him.

,, _ Mark?'' _

Ah. Donghyuck.

God, now Mark felt even worse. He was saving him  _ again.  _ How many times has Donghyuck helped him today? Mark got lost in the numbers.

,,Mhm?'' That was all the ravenette could muster up. He would do anything to just  _ wake up.  _

This was so embarrassing. He couldn't even explain himself. He couldn't apologize for spacing out, he couldn't join the conversation… Nothing.

,,Sorry guys, it's been kind of tough for him. Ten has been running after him the whole day, pestering him about the most pointless bullshit- I mean, just, uh, I-'' Donghyuck stumbled over his words, his ears turning pink. 

Seeing the ginger so flustered helped him snap out of his little trance, sort of like a responsibility reflex. 

,,It's fine dude, rich-speak isn't their mother tongue. But anyway, Donghyuck is right, I've just been a little anxious throughout the day, and he had to drag me out of all the trouble I got myself into. He's a real hero,'' Mark laughed, his shoulders relaxing a little. This was enough for him to gain some control over himself again. He couldn't allow himself to be so lost again. Not again.

He'd pull through.

,,You guys are so cute,'' Renjun giggled, but without the usual warmth that a giggle should undoubtedly have, making his compliment(?) sound very threatening, and very out of the blue.

,,Injun…,'' Jeno warned, pinching the bridge of his nose. But the said boy continued anyway.

,,Cut the shit. We  _ know  _ there's something up with you two. I swear to god, if you have  _ anything  _ to do with this, I'll-''

_ Huh? _

The atmosphere suddenly turned sour, air so thick with tension that you cut cut it into pieces.   
,,That's  _ enough,  _ Renjun.'' Jaemin barked all of a sudden, fed up with the boy's behaviour.

Meanwhile, Mark and Donghyuck just stood there, staring at the three in disbelief.

What was going on?

,,Excuse me? Have to do anything with  _ what  _ exactly? I really don't appreciate the fact that you're just accusing us of something we don't even know about.'' Donghyuck's cold voice cut through the air like a knife, sending shivers down Mark's spine. He hasn't seen him this serious yet, and it was  _ terrifying ( _ and also a little bit hot? very conflicting). 

,, Hehe, sorry about him! He's just a little…  _ tense.''  _ Jaemin held onto both Jeno's and Renjun's arms, as if holding them back. Which was very welcomed, considering the fact that Renjun's eyes were currently burning through Mark's head.

,,Come on, Jaem. You can't possibly let them off the hook! This is a really fucked up situation!''

Markhyuck were still staring, trying to understand what exactly is it that they weren't supposed to get let off the hook for.

But then the realization hit the ravenette like a wave of freezing water.

_ They knew. _

They knew he wasn't supposed to be here. They  _ knew.  _ They figured out he was a fraud. Somehow, these three boys, that seemed so very friendly, were going to end his afterlife in paradise.

And in that very moment, he felt completely numb. Numb to the trio's eyes stabbing through him, numb to the noise of the party. 

But what he  _ did _ feel was Donghyuck's presence next to him. The boy that got mixed up in his mess, simply because he wanted to help. 

However, Jaemin's voice broke his emo train of thought, just when it was getting spicy.

,,We just… We have a  _ suspicion  _ that something might be, uhm, a little… off? About Taeyong. And since… since you received so much praise from him, we thought… maybe something was off about you, too?'' the boy sheepishly fiddled with his thumbs, staring at the ground.

This, obviously, sent an avalanche of emotions the two boys' way.

Something off about Taeyong?  _ The  _  Taeyong? The angelic man that greeted them with open arms?

,,You also got praised quite a lot, Jaemin,'' pointed out Donghyuck, his voice still cool and emotionless. Scary.

,,W-well, yeah, but-''

,,I don't think that was a fair assumption from your side. Me and Mark have both seen our fair share strange things today, but you don't see us jumping into conclusions, and acting shady towards the only people of our age we've seen so far. That's kind of ugly of you.''

,, Wow ,''  said Mark in a tiny voice, absolutely infatuated by serious!Donghyuck. But that wasn't important right now.

,,What Jaemin meant to say is that we just feel like something is off. And we also originally wanted to ask if y'all ever wanted to hang out, but that seems kinda inappropriate right now.'' Jeno's laugh slightly lightened the situation, but Renjun and Donghyuck were still grilling each other with death stares.

,,Whatever the case is, we're tired. And we also wouldn't want to discuss something possibly confidential with you  _ here,''  _ the tan boy gestured vaguely around the room, eyes darting around the room to make sure no one has been listening. No such thing as being too careful.

,,I-I guess you're right. I just-  _ we _ just- we really- I don't know, I guess we were just playing detectives.'' Jaemin must've found the tips of his shoes incredibly interesting, because he's been staring at them for what felt like an hour now.

,,Oh come  _ on,  _ Nana. We just-  _ I  _ just acted all tough and like a douchebag, and you decide to back down? Unbelievable!'' groaned Renjun, the tips of his ears turning pink.

 Mark and Donghyuck were still very confused by the three boys' antics, so the ravenette decided to solve the situation himself for the first time this evening.

,,I think we'll be on our way back home now. Whatever you guys were planning, it freaked us out. So please, next time you approach us, don't just randomly start acting like we're in a really bad fanfic, alright?'' he joked, but his words still got the message across.

And so they left, leaving behind three confused and guilty boys. 

  
  


,,What a night!'' exclaimed Donghyuck, when the cool night air finally hit their faces.

Mark sighed deeply and nodded in agreement, absolutely fed up. He'd have to sleep  for two days to restore his energy.

,,Those guys were definitely onto me,'' he said after a few moments of silence, the weight of the situation finally dawning upon them.

Donghyuck, however, was having none of that.

,,Bullshit. How would they? They're just kids. Like us. They're pretending to be adults, playing detectives and such. It's gonna be fine,'' he assured Mark, reaching for his hand a squeezing it comfortingly. 

,,I guess you're right,'' the ravenette nodded, desperately trying not to freak out. Which has, many times, been proven to be real tough. ,,I'm exhausted.''

,,Let's go home then.''

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt @/hyuckiepop

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter cowards


End file.
